Sydney’s Suncorp: The first look at Bankwest Stadium

The old Parramatta Stadium is gone but as Bankwest Stadium begins to take shape one thing has become clear - the western suburbs will soon boast the country’s best ground.

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The Mick Cronin and Ken Thornett Stands signs have been torn down.

And the grassy north and south hills named after Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny are now the foundation for concrete slabs.

The tryline ends of Parramatta Stadium were for ‘Kenny Magic” bedsheet signs, painted blue and gold, and where on Sundays the ‘Parramatta Jesus’ would stand in his robe to bless ‘Hindy’ and ‘Caylo’.

Not that you remember any of this once you’re standing inside the construction zone of the Eels new home, Bankwest Stadium.

Once inside Australia’s game-changing stadium, it’s impossible to recall what once stood, such is the staggering transformation of what was the 32-year-old Parramatta Stadium, into the 75 per cent complete Banwest Stadium.

The new ground is on track to open next season.

That’s what fans will find themselves doing next year on Easter Monday, when Parramatta and Wests Tigers go head to head in the opening sports event at the stadium.

You’ll look left, look right, down and up. All the while, scratching your head.

Is this really where the ‘Zip Zip Man’ and the ‘Guru’ ran riot?

Instead, what you’ll feel is that you’re standing inside not just the best 30,000-seat rectangular stadium in Sydney, but the world.

Similar in design to that of the world-class Optus Stadium in Perth, the overhead sail-structure covers the entire stadium seating.

The new stadium will boast the steepest seating in Australia.

No more umbrellas, no more ponchos at the footy.

The Sunday Telegraph stood on the western concourse, directly above the four dressing rooms beneath the grandstand, which will allow men and women to prepare on any given match-day.

The facilities are unprecedented in Sydney.

A mini-Suncorp Stadium is how Bankwest has been described.

But Bankwest will prove superior — both in design and atmosphere.

Certainly, you can already feel the similarities once you peer down from your seat and onto the pitch where the Eels, Wests Tigers and Wanderers will play next year.

But Bankwest has what Suncorp doesn't: at 34-degree rake that provides the steepest stadium seating in Australia.

The new stadium will become a hub for Sydney’s sporting action.

You feel like you’re literally over the top of the action.

There is another clever feature.

At the northern end, removable seats have been installed for when the Wanderers play, allowing supporter group the Red and Black Bloc more room to stand and sing — and without the threat of seat damage.

Banwest Stadium, with its enormously wide passageways for fans, concourse areas and soon-to-be installed food village, reminds you of what US sports fans are treated to every week.

They’ve been experiencing world-class stadiums for decades.

Finally, we’ll get ours in just four months.

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Originally published as Sydney’s Suncorp: The first look at Bankwest Stadium