Macarthur FC Chairman Gino Marra has expressed his “bitter disappointment’’ the NSW Government’s suburban stadium upgrades heavily favouring Rugby League.
“There has been no mention of any upgrade to Campbelltown Stadium. Outside of ANZ Stadium at Homebush, Campbelltown is the only stadium on a rail line in metro Sydney and has continually been neglected by this and previous state governments of both political parties for many years,” Mr Marra said.
While the upgrades won’t be confirmed until the NSW budget is handed down later this month, Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis was quoted in the media yesterday as being supportive of Liverpool becoming the NRL club’s home ground in the future.
He suggested “spiritual homes’’ at Leichhardt and Campbelltown would not be forgotten if a stadium was built at Liverpool and became the main home ground for the joint venture.
Mr Marra points out that Macarthur FC Bulls are permanently based at Campbelltown and represents the region proudly, continuing to build towards their debut in the national A-League competition, kicking off December 27.
“There are over 100 grassroot football clubs and 35,000 registered players in our catchment area,’’ he says.
“Every one of our local residents is a taxpayer who deserve their fair share of government support, and once again the Macarthur region gets treated with contempt.”
The Macarthur region is estimated to double in population over the next 10 years and Campbelltown Stadium is a key piece of sporting infrastructure in the South Western Sydney region.
Macarthur FC will be showcasing the region to a national audience through the A-League and having a stadium that provides adequate cover from adverse weather for all patrons should be the minimum standard.
As the new Western Sydney Airport draws closer to coming online, Campbelltown and the Macarthur region will play a critical role in catering for the influx in business and tourism, being the gateway to the south.
“The most disappointing point of yesterday’s announcement is that it was heavily favoured towards the NRL. Rugby League has approximately 100,000 participants in comparison to football with approximately one million participants in NSW,’’ Mr Marra said.
“With the largest sporting event since the 2000 Olympics, the Women’s World Cup in 2023, to come to our shores, perhaps now is the time for the government to take some advice from the state’s most participated sport.
“I applaud the State Government in relation to investment in suburban grounds, however this should not be at the expense of grounds that even the NRL call spiritual, such as Campbelltown Stadium (pictured below) and Leichhardt Oval.
“Government investment in a new stadium at Liverpool is commended but should be complementary to existing stadiums such as Campbelltown.
“We will continually stand up and fight for the Macarthur region and would expect West Tigers to also call for investment in one of their “spiritual homes”, Campbelltown Stadium.
“Macarthur FC calls on the NSW Government and the Labor opposition to commit to an upgrade of Campbelltown Stadium immediately,” Mr Marra said.
