SYDNEY (Reuters) – Work to rebuild Sydney’s football stadium for A$730 million will begin this week and is expected to be completed in September 2022, the New South Wales government said Wednesday.
The refurbishment of the site adjacent to the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground component of a debatable program of A$2 billion ($1.43 billion) to reform the city’s stadium portfolio.
The proposal to upgrade the 83,000-seat Olympic Stadium degraded to renovation before being deserted due to monetary tensions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the SFS had already been demolished.
The original subcontractors were fired after the sand was razed, but their replacements worked the coronavirus blockade and begin pouring the 40,000 cubic meters of concrete that will supply the foundations on Wednesday.
“This is an exciting milestone that lays the ground for the stadium to start coming off the ground,” acting Sports Minister Geoff Lee said in a statement.
The new SFS designed to have two modes, a 30,000-seat “club” design with a screen that masks the top point of the seats, which would be eliminated to allow 15,000 more enthusiastic people to watch football and rugby matches.
The rebuilt stadium is expected to host the National Rugby League Grand Final in October 2022 as the Women’s World Cup matches in 2023, which Australia will co-host New Zealand.
The arena, which hosted matches at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, will also be the cornerstone of Australia’s bid to host the tournament in 2027.
The renewal assigned a key factor in the 2019 state election, and the opposition Labour Party said it would abandon the program. However, the ruling Liberal Party won the election.
Reporting through Nick Mulvenney, edited through Peter Rutherford
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