Wests Tigers have taken a decisive step in shaping their future, announcing a landmark 15-year stadium strategy that will see the club play its NRL and NRLW fixtures out of Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
The strategy, finalised in partnership with Inner West Council and Campbelltown City Council, ensures that the club’s most historic and culturally significant venues will be its long-term homes, backed by more than $100 million in identified redevelopment funding.
CEO Shane Richardson spoke to media on Monday to stress the significance of the deal for the club’s long-term direction.
Major part of the puzzle
Richardson said the announcement represented the culmination of years of planning and a critical piece of the club’s broader rebuild.
“It’s a major part of the puzzle,” Richardson explained.
“There’s a whole lot of things we had to do to re-establish this club. The independent board is operating successfully, our commercial side will show a profit this year for the first time in a long while. We’ve increased sponsorships by over 40%.
“The final piece of the puzzle was the stadiums, because we needed quality stadiums that our fans could come along to and know that we could provide quality entertainment for them.”
A clear timeline to 2029
The redevelopment schedule means fans will see both venues undergo upgrades in the coming years, with both set to be ready for the 2029 season.
“’27 we’ll probably see Leichhardt shut and get built, ’28 will be Campbelltown, and then in ’29, we’re both together,” Richardson said.
“We’ll play a lot more games at Campbelltown in 2027 and then a lot more games at Leichhardt in ’28.
“We’ll still play out of CommBank for the bigger games until both stadiums are fully established in ’29. [From 2029] there’s 11 games, certainly, that will be locked into either Leichhardt or Campbelltown.”
Long-term growth in Sydney’s west
Richardson said the long-term stadium deal is also about cementing Wests Tigers’ place in the western Sydney community.
“It just means that we’re locked in,” he said.
“We’ve got a commitment to the west. We’ll be in 60 schools by the end of the year with our Empower program. We’ve got a strong tie to the leagues club and now to the council.
“We’ve got a commitment to the historic Leichhardt Oval but the real spread for this club as far as Membership growth and commercial is to the south-west of Sydney.
“This is the final piece of the puzzle.”
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