Adam Pengilly
51 mins ago
http://www.watoday.com.au/rugby-league/parramatta-eels/nrl-eye-parramatta-stadium-unveiling-days-after-usa-season-opener-20180309-p4z3p9.html
A state-of-the-art Parramatta Stadium could be used to launch the 2019 season domestically just days after a competition game is played in the United States under a bold plan being hatched by the NRL.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has floated the possibility of the $300 million western Sydney venue being operational in time for round one next year, up to two months ahead of its original proposed completion date.
As Greenberg jetted into Perth on Friday for rugby league's first foray into the $1.6 billion Optus Stadium with Saturday's double-header, plans to have the NRL's next competition opened – at least in Australia – at the country's newest venue continue to gather momentum.
An opening weekend showcase of Parramatta Stadium with the Eels scheduled to play on either a Thursday or Friday night would not only be a huge boost for the NRL, but would also be politically sensitive given the NSW government election will be held on March 23.
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And Greenberg is working on plans to have a season opener on the west coast of America – given the working title "Round Zero" – followed by a grand opening of Parramatta Stadium the following week.
"It excites me this time next year we'll be in Parramatta saying something similar," Greenberg said in Perth. "Round one next year we hope to open Parramatta Stadium. That will be a fundamental generational change in Sydney and what follows that is other stadiums at Homebush and Allianz.
"[Parramatta] is going to be ready for quarter one of next season. We're 12 months out and there's a multitude of factors that will go into the timeline of delivery. My briefings from Venues NSW and government tell me it's on track.
"We'll have a look at that closer as we start to build the details of the draw. We're hoping to open the season next year at Parramatta – and if that moves by a week or two I don't think there will be too many issues with that."
The NRL is still locked in discussions with broadcasters Nine and Fox Sports about a season opener overseas in 2019, which would involve a match at a venue on the west coast of America on Saturday night local time.
It would be beamed back live to Australian audiences, who would watch the match on a Sunday afternoon.
The Rabbitohs – who will play the Warriors in the first game of the double-header at Optus Stadium – are considered the front-runners to be one of two teams to preach the rugby league gospel on the international stage.
And the Eels would be the other leading light back home, perhaps featuring on a Thursday or Friday night on a weekend where more than one match could be played at Parramatta Stadium.
"We think we can make all of that [America and Parramatta Stadium] happen," Greenberg said. "We're looking for new innovations and things to try and we've been pretty positive and public about our aspirations to try to take a game over there.
"There's a time zone that says if it's played on a Saturday night it's broadcast here on a Sunday afternoon. The ambition would be to do that and try to do some form of season launch with fans in and around the week prior to the start of the season."
A crowd of up to 40,000 people is expected to flock to the double-header at Optus Stadium, which will host a State of Origin match in 2019.
And a week after Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter Beattie put the NSW government on notice over the NRL's insistence that Sydney's stadia investment is met to guarantee the grand final stays in the harbour city, Greenberg said his phone had been ringing hot about the prospect of hosting the tourism money-spinner.
"Queensland is clearly a leading player in that because of their support of rugby league, and I'm talking about the fans and their support over a long period of time," Greenberg said. "They're obviously the top of the list.
"[But] it's fair to say the phone has been ringing consistently and those phone calls come in from just about every major city in the country asking about how we might have a conversation if a grand final was to become available."
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100% agree Longfin Eel.
At the opening of our former stadium against the dragons in 1986, it was 99% Parra supporters. That stadium was built to hold 25 and half thousand fans, but experts were saying there were closer to 30,000 in attendance that day. I know the record was 27k+ against the rabbitohs, but that's what was reported in the papers the next day after the opening.
I was at the opening of Parramatta stadium as well as the closing which was against the dragons again, almost exactly 30 years to the day.
I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that when our new stadium opens next year, that our mighty blue & gold army will once again fill the stadium no worries about that. I'm just spewin' that it isn't being built to hold 35,000 or even 40,000.
I mean, come on man, how is 30,000 capacity "building for the future"? That's what they said. And they also said "it's being built to have a lifespan of 50 years". Are you kidding me? In such a fast growing region, 30,000 capacity for the next 50 years ?
I really hope that "building for the future" means they can increase the capacity in the future without having to knock it down and start from scratch again because that would mean we'd again be homeless for at least 2 more years.
I wish that our opening day will be on a Sunday but we all know channel 9 and Fox Sports won't allow that to happen.
Unless you're working or living too far away, you don't have any excuse not to be there on opening day/night.
I think the mighty, and ever so popular Parramatta Eels will join the Bronco's, Cowboys, and the rabbitohs in their "Thursday & Friday Night Footy Club" once our new stadium is open for business in 2019.
Our ever growing fan base and our new stadium will ensure that we are beamed around the nation LIVE on just about every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night throughout the season.
Our popularity and television audience numbers unfortunately means that we'll be lucky to see any Sunday afternoon games.
According to the "COUNTDOWN TO PARRAMATTA'S SEASON KICK-OFF CLOCK" on the 1EyedEel homepage, the mighty Eels will be taking on the Panthers at midnight tonight. :)