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The City of Canada Bay is set to commence a $30 million transformation of the Concord Oval following the end of the 2019 winter rugby league and union seasons.

Driven by a demand for new sporting facilities, fuelled by the rapidly growing population in Sydney’s inner west, the upgrade will include a new indoor recreation centre, open spaces, rooms for community groups, match facilities and a new high-performance centre for the NRL’s Wests Tigers.

Described by the Council as its most ambitious infrastructure project ever undertaken, the redevelopment of the venue on Sydney’s Parramatta Road has been backed by the NSW Government as part of $198 million in funding to improve ‘liveability’ in the Parramatta Road Urban Transformation Plan.

Mayor Angelo Tsirekas said the precinct would be designed to serve both elite sporting players and local community groups including West Harbour Rugby and the Inter Lions football club.

He advised “in our area we house some of Sydney’s best recreational facilities but the demand from our growing active community means our fields and facilities are often at capacity.

“(This development) will mean our residents will have some of Sydney’s finest world class sporting, recreation and community facilities at their doorstep.”

The ground, which hosted eight matches, including a semi-final fixture, during the first Rugby World Cup in 1987, has not been upgraded since 1985, and while still popular among local sporting clubs, capacity constraints have forced many larger groups to relocate to venues at Olympic Park, Moore Park and Parramatta.

Wests Tigers, which has campaigned for the upgrade since 2015, sees that the project will ensure the club can train at a state-of-the art facility in the heart of the inner west.

The Labor Party also made funding commitments to the project during its unsuccessful recent Federal election campaign.

Click here for more information on the project.

Images: Concord Oval from the air (top) and artist's impressions of the redesigned venue (middle and below).

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