Sydney Football Stadium to Close for Field Repairs, Premier Insists Taxpayers Won't Pay

The NSW Government has confirmed that taxpayers will not be responsible for the cost of extensive repairs to Sydney Football Stadium's playing surface.

The $828 million Moore Park venue, home to Sydney FC, the Sydney Roosters and the NSW Waratahs, will be shut for around 10 weeks following the Wallabies' clash with Argentina on September 13.

An independent report found that the pitch has been struggling to drain properly since the stadium's 2022 rebuild, due to contamination in the sand drainage layer beneath the turf. Testing revealed up to 9 per cent clay and fine silt had mixed with the coarser sand, slashing drainage capacity to just 40mm per hour. A compliant sand-based field should drain between 300mm and 600mm per hour.

The shutdown is expected to heavily impact Sydney FC, who will be forced to relocate their early A-League fixtures when the season kicks off in October.

Premier Chris Minns described the issue as "concerning," stressing the stadium needs to meet world-class standards both on and off the field.
"It's important that as a showpiece stadium, one of the best in the country if not the world, the playing surface matches the quality of the stands," he said.

While the total repair bill has not been finalised, Mr Minns said the government and Venues NSW believe the problem stems from the original construction.
"I don't anticipate any cost for NSW taxpayers," he said. "The understanding is that it's still effectively under warranty. The stadium is brand new, so we'd expect the builder to fix it."

International artist Kendrick Lamar will be among the first to perform at the venue in December once the field works are complete. Fresh turf will then be installed before A-League matches resume.

Sydney FC described the disruption as both "hugely disruptive" and "financially detrimental," but said the club is working with Venues NSW to minimise the impact.
"Having a surface suitable for top-level professional football is of paramount importance to Sydney FC," the club said in a statement.