BlueBet Stadium | |
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 Penrith Stadium during the2023 World Club Challenge. | |
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| Former names | Penrith Park Penrith Football Stadium Credit Union Australia Stadium (2006–10) Centrebet Stadium (2011–13) Sportingbet Stadium (2014) McGrath Foundation Stadium Pepper Stadium (2015–17) Panthers Stadium (2018–21) BlueBet Stadium (2021–2024) |
|---|---|
| Location | Mulgoa Road,Penrith, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 33°45′31″S150°41′16″E / 33.75861°S 150.68778°E /-33.75861; 150.68778 |
| Owner | Crown Land Trustees Penrith City Council |
| Operator | Panthers Leagues Club |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Record attendance | 22,582 – Penrith vsParramatta, 2010 |
| Field size | 130m × 68m[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 23 April 1967 |
| Closed | 13 September 2024 |
| Tenants | |
| Penrith Panthers (NSWRL/ARL/NRL) (SL) (1967–present) Penrith Nepean United (NSWPL) Penrith City SC (NSL) (1984–1985) | |
Penrith Stadium, currently known asBlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is arugby league andassociation football stadium located inPenrith, New South Wales, Australia.
The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for thePenrith Panthers who play in theNational Rugby League (NRL). The all-time attendance record for the venue is 22,582 in a match between the Panthers and theirWestern Sydney rivalsParramatta on 17 July 2010. It closed in September 2024 for redevelopment that will include a new western grandstand and refurbished eastern grandstand increasing the ground capacity to 25,000.
Panthers Stadium has been used by thePenrith Panthers since their entry into theNew South Wales Rugby League competition in 1967.[2] Initially, the stadium only had one main grandstand, the Western grandstand while the ground itself was oval in shape. In the 1980s, the stadium was redeveloped into a rectangle arena more suitable for rugby league and other sports such as association football (soccer) and rugby union. This redevelopment also saw the construction of the Eastern Grandstand. In 2006, a joint Federal and State Government funding project saw $30 million worth of investments come to the stadium.[citation needed] In the subsequent developments, the Western Grandstand was extended and revamped. Following the completion of the project, the stadium held 8,000 seats in the grandstand.[citation needed]
Two ofSamoa's2008 Rugby League World Cup matches were played at CUA Stadium: theirGroup C game againstTonga and their 9th placeplay-off match against former twiceWorld Cup finalistsFrance.
It was briefly featured in a 200960 Minutes episode titled "Brute Force" showingPublic Order & Riot Squad officers acrossSydney.
At the end of 2010, the Federal and State Governments provided funding to redevelop the scoreboard end of the stadium. Initial plans were to build a double-sided grandstand between Penrith Stadium and Howell Oval. However, it was found that a main sewer line ran between the stadium and Howell Oval. Relocation of the line would have cost nearly double what the initial funding would cover. Subsequently, a stand was built at Howell Oval, and the facilities at the scoreboard end of the stadium were redeveloped.
A new video screen was purchased fromSubiaco Oval inPerth in 2018 and was installed prior to the start of the 2019 NRL season at the Family Hill end.[3][4]
In 2021 theGovernment of New South Wales considered funding a major redevelopment of the stadium. The proposal would have entailed the demolition of the facility and the construction of a 25,000 to 30,000-seat stadium on the site.[5][6][7] The stadium was reported to cost $200 to $300 million and would be built with the funds originally allocated for the redevelopment ofStadium Australia which was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[7] On 9 December 2021,Premier,Dominic Perrottet andStuart Ayres, minister for Tourism and Western Sydney, alongside Penrith Panthers playersNathan Cleary andBrian To'o officially announced the new stadium.[8][9] Under the original plan, the stadium would have closed and been demolished at the end of the2022 NRL season and reopened in 2025.[9]
However, in July 2022, the NSW government entered talks with the Penrith Paceway, a major horse racing facility, to buy the land it sits on to build a brand new stadium.[10][11] The new plan would have allowed the Panthers to play at the existing site until the new stadium was built.
In February 2023, the ground hosted the2023 World Club Challenge clash between two-time reigning NRL premiers thePenrith Panthers and four-time defendingSuper League championsSt Helens R.F.C.[12]
Following achange in government, in January 2024, the Government of New South Wales announced revised plans for a new$309 million renovation to transform the Stadium precinct into a modern venue for sporting and entertainment.[13][14] The redevelopment will include a new western grandstand and refurbished eastern grandstand increasing the ground capacity from 22,500 to 25,000.[15] To facilitate the redevelopment, the stadium closed after the2024 NRL season and is scheduled to reopen in2026 with the Panthers to play out ofWestern Sydney Stadium.[13][15] The final NRL game at Penrith Stadium prior to redevelopment took place on September 13, 2024, with Penrith taking on theSydney Roosters in aQualifying Final in front of a sellout crowd of 21,483.[16]
Penrith Stadium was sponsored byCredit Union Australia, who previously held the naming rights, from early 2006 until 31 October 2010. The stadium's name was sometimes shortened to CUA Stadium.
On 22 January 2011, it was announced that sport betting agencyCentrebet had acquired the rights to the sponsorship name of the stadium until 2016. Under their sponsorship rights the stadium was also known as the "Centrebet Stadium Penrith".[17]
On 21 June 2011, it was announced that, for the Women in League round of the NRL, Centrebet had agreed to forego the naming rights for one week, during which time the stadium would officially be known asMcGrath Foundation Stadium.
On 28 January 2014, it was announced that sport betting agencySportingbet acquired the rights to the sponsorship name of the stadium, changing the stadium's name to Sportingbet Stadium Penrith. In 2015,Pepper Money replaced Sportingbet as the naming rights sponsor, renaming the stadium to Pepper Stadium.[18]
At the end of 2017, Pepper Group ended its sponsorship of the ground and the stadium was renamed Panthers Stadium.[19]
On 22 March 2021, BlueBet was announced as the stadium's naming rights partner, signing a two-year deal.[20]
In theNational Rugby League competition, thePenrith Panthers club have played at this stadium, as their home ground, ever since making their first grade appearance in 1967.
In theNational Soccer League, thePenrith City SC club played here in 1984–1985.
The stadium hosted aWestern Sydney Wanderers pre-season friendly againstAdelaide United on 22 September 2013, and was host to a competitiveA-League Premiership match against theWellington Phoenix on 8 February 2015. The Wanderers also played anFFA Cup match againstBrisbane Roar at the venue on 11 August 2015.
On 16 September 2017 the venue hosted an international women's friendly football game when theMatildas defeated Brazil 2–1 in front of a crowd of 15,089.
List of rugby league test andWorld Cup matches played at Penrith Stadium.[21]
| Test# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2006 |  Fiji def. Cook Islands 40–2 | 1,713 | 2008Rugby League World Cupqualifying |
| 2 | 31 October 2008 |  Samoa def. Tonga 24–14 | 11,787 | 2008Rugby League World CupGroup C |
| 3 | 9 November 2008 | Samoa def. France 42–14 | 8,028 | 2008Rugby League World Cup9th-place playoff |
| 4 | 20 April 2013 | Tonga def. Samoa 38–10 | 10,143 | 2013 Pacific Rugby League International |
| 5 | 3 May 2014 | Samoa def. Fiji 36–14 | 9,063 | 2014 Pacific Rugby League International |
List of International Football matches played at Penrith Stadium.
| Test# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 September 2017 | Australia  2–1 Brazil | 15,089 | International Women's Friendly |
| 2 | 10 November 2018 | Australia 2–3 Chile | 15,185 | International Women's Friendly |
