Stadium Australia
Stadium Australia (currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes) is a multi-purpose stadium located in Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stadium, Homebush Stadium or simply the Olympic Stadium, was completed in March 1999 at a cost of A$690 million[1] to host the 2000 Summer Olympics.[4][5] The Stadium was leased by a private company, the Stadium Australia Group, until the Stadium was sold back to the NSW Government on 1 June 2016 after NSW Premier Michael Baird announced the Stadium was to be redeveloped as a world-class rectangular stadium. The Stadium is owned by Venues NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.
"Telstra Stadium" redirects here. For the stadium in Melbourne previously known as the Telstra Dome, see Docklands Stadium.Former names
Stadium Australia (1999–2002, 2020–2021)
Telstra Stadium (2002–2007)
ANZ Stadium (2008–2020)
Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia (Map)
VenuesLive Management Services
82,000 (Rectangular)[a]
81,500 (Oval)
115,000 (2000 Summer Olympics)
114,714: 2000 Olympics closing ceremony
160 m × 118 m (525 ft × 387 ft)[3]
Grass
12 September 1996
6 March 1999
9 November 2014:
Australia v 
South Africa
1 February 2012: Australia v 
New Zealand
9 November 2014: Australia v 
West Indies
The stadium was originally built to hold circa 115,000 spectators, making it the largest Olympic Stadium ever built[6] and the second largest stadium in Australia after the Melbourne Cricket Ground which held more than 120,000 before its re-design in the early 2000s. In 2003, reconfiguration work was completed to shorten the north and south wings, and install movable seating. These changes reduced the capacity to 80,000, with the capacity to add seating depending on the venue configuration. Awnings were also added over the north and south stands, allowing most of the seating to be under cover. The stadium was engineered along sustainable lines, e.g., utilising less steel in the roof structure than the Olympic stadiums of Athens and Beijing.[7]
Naming rights[edit]
The stadium lacked a naming rights sponsor in its formative years, bearing the name Stadium Australia between its opening in 1999 and 2002. In 2002, telecommunications company Telstra acquired the naming rights, resulting in the stadium being known as Telstra Stadium. On 12 December 2007 it was announced by the Stadium Australia Group (SAG) that the stadium's name was to be changed to ANZ Stadium after concluding a deal with ANZ Bank worth around A$31.5 million over seven years.[8] This change took effect on 1 January 2008. In 2014, ANZ renewed the deal through to the end of 2017 and again until its closure for rebuilding in October 2019.[9]
In December 2020, ANZ's naming rights to the stadium expired and it reverted to being Stadium Australia.[10]
In November 2021, multinational hospitality company Accor acquired the rights, with the venue to be known as Accor Stadium.[11]
Proposed renovations[edit]
In September 2015, the New South Wales Government announced it intended to upgrade the stadium within the next decade, and install a retractable roof over the stadium.[23][24]
On 23 November 2017, the New South Wales Government revealed that Stadium Australia would be knocked down and completely re-built, with a new 75,000 seat rectangular stadium built in its place. The announcement was made in conjunction with the unveiling of rebuilding plans for the Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park. The original plan for Stadium Australia was for the demolition to start in 2019 and the new stadium to be completed by 2021.
On 29 March 2018 NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian backflipped on the rebuilding plan, and revealed the government would instead refurbish Stadium Australia and reconfigure the pitch dimensions to a permanently rectangular shape. This would come at a cost of $800 million, compared to the knock-down and rebuild cost of $1.3 billion.[25]
On 31 May 2020, the renovation plans were cancelled by the government, who pointed to a shift in budget priorities as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[26] The decision meant the stadium remained capable of hosting oval-shaped sports such as cricket and Australian rules football, and retain its capacity to 83,500.