Allianz Stadium and CommBank Stadium to open for Matildas semi final
Thousands of football fans will be able to watch Wednesday’s Women’s World Cup semi-final at Allianz Stadium and CommBank Stadium.
NSW
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Thousands of football fans will be able to watch Wednesday’s Women’s World Cup semi-final at live sites around Sydney with Allianz Stadium and CommBank Stadium to be opened up for the match.
“On Wednesday night, the New South Wales Government is making sure that as many families as possible can get to live sites to watch the action with fellow Australians as we make our way through the semi finals,” Premier Chris Minns said on Sunday.
“As a result of that, we are opening up CommBank Stadium and Allianz Stadium at Moore Park for families to come together and celebrate what (will) definitely be a victory for the Matildas on Wednesday night.”
Mr Minns said the stadiums are community facilities which should be used to broadcast the match to families across Sydney instead of remaining empty during the massive match.
It’s understood the move will alleviate a bottleneck of thousands of fans travelling to Accor Stadium to watch the match on a big screen, at the same time as an expected sellout crowd of more than 75,000 try to get into the stadium.
There will also be a live site at Tumbalong Park, while the sails of the Opera House will be lit up again on Wednesday night when the Matildas take on England.
Big screen to show Matildas vs France at Olympic Park
Tens of thousands of football fans will be able to watch the Matildas clash with France on the big screen at Olympic Park on Saturday after the government was forced to answer pleas from ticket holders heading to watch England take on Columbia at Accor Stadium.
It comes after panicked fans called for a live site at Olympic park to stream the Matildas’ Brisbane match to some 75,000 people before the England v Columbia game.
Tourism Minister John Graham announced the big screen plan on Thursday after the government scrambled to make arrangements for ticket holders.
“It’s one of the things that people have called for and the government has immediately responded,” he said.
Destination NSW and the Sydney Olympic Park authority will share the cost of showing the game on the big screen, estimated to be about $10,000.
Only ticket holders for the England v Colombia game will be able to watch the Matildas quarter final in Olympic park: other fans will need to go to existing live sites.
“We don’t want any football fan to miss even a minute of the action in a tournament that has gripped Sydney and the world,” Mr Graham said.
Asked if the government was caught unprepared about the popularity of the World Cup, Mr Graham said the tournament had been “more popular than expected”.
“And that’s a great thing,” he said.
‘Pubs can’t handle 75,000’: Fans scream for Matildas big screen
Matildas football fans are calling for FIFA and Destination NSW to resolve their differences and set up a big screen at Olympic Park to allow thousands of footy fans to watch the Matildas game on Saturday night.
More than 75,000 supporters have bought tickets for the England v Colombia match which kicks off at 8.30pm at Accor Stadium on Saturday night, and want a big screen to watch the Matildas game which starts in Brisbane at 5pm.
But fans are anxious not to have a repeat of Monday night where more than 75,000 were trying to watch the end of the England game on crowded pub screens before entering the stadium to watch the Matildas.
“Please can a live site be set up in the precinct pre-game to allow us all to watch the Matildas,” Holly Louise wrote on social media. “The pubs cannot handle 75,000 people.”
Most are expected to get to Homebush early to watch the Matildas play France, which kicks off in Brisbane at 5pm. If it runs into extra time and penalties as happened to England on Monday they will not make it to the stadium for the kick off of the second game.
Fan David Feeney took to social media to implore FIFA officials to help out. “Can you please show the Matildas game inside the stadium on Saturday,” he wrote. “1000s of Aussies will be at the Sydney quarterfinal and we’d love to see the game on the big screen.”
Scores of soccer fans repeated that request on Twitter and Facebook.
But so far Women’s World Cup organiser FIFA, Destination NSW and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority have failed to come up with a solution.
A source close to the negotiations between the three organisations said they were passing the buck and arguing over who would cover the cost of a big screen activation.
“The NRL covers the cost of a big screen in Cathy Freeman Park for the rugby league grand final but nobody seems to want to pay for the World Cup,” the source said.
FIFA has control of Accor but is understood to be reluctant to open the ground early to let fans watch the Matildas on its screens. Fans are instead being directed to the official live site in Darling Harbour where they would have no hope of reaching the ground in time to see England and Colombia kick off.
Meanwhile the Sydney Cricket Ground is encouraging fans to stay on after the Swans game against the Gold Coast and watch the Matildas on the big screens there.
Charlie Laundy, who manages The Locker Room bar sports bar at Olympic Park, said the entire precinct had been packed on Monday night.
“It was crazy busy,” he said. “I am sure we can cope but I think it would be a great initiative to put up a big screen for the fans who get here early to watch the Matildas.”
A Destination NSW spokesman said the agency was “exploring opportunities” to broadcast Matildas games at Stadium Australia.
FIFA and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority have both been contacted for comment.
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