Allianz Stadium cost $828m but becomes a lake after rain. An investigation has discovered why

Allianz Stadium will close for 10 weeks barely three years after it opened after a report found contamination in the drainage layer was to blame for the $828 million venue’s poor playing surface.

Home to NRL team the Sydney Roosters, rugby’s NSW Waratahs and A-League football club Sydney FC, the taxpayer-funded stadium opened in August 2022 but has been faced with persistent criticism over its drainage and turf in the past year.

Venues NSW, which operates the ground, launched an independent review after conditions in the second Women’s State of Origin game in July pushed that criticism to boiling point.

The review committee finalised its report last week and found contaminated sand had been installed at the time of the stadium’s construction because of improper testing.

As a result, clay and fine silt have been found at more than three times the recommended maximum amount in the sand drainage layer.

The review found this was to blame for an “unacceptable” drainage rate of 40mm per hour, much slower than the 300-600mm per hour at which sand-based sporting fields typically drain.

On Sunday, NSW Premier Chris Minns echoed the concerns about the surface, saying it “hasn’t been good enough” but said taxpayers would not be forced to fund the repairs.

“The surface has let down playing teams, so we need to get on it. Obviously, that can’t happen while football is taking place,” he said.

“We don’t anticipate NSW taxpayers will fit the bill for that, because, obviously, Venues NSW and the government believe that there’s been an error in the original construction.

“I mean, the thing’s brand new, so we would expect the builder to fix it up.”

As a result, the stadium will close for 10 weeks immediately after the Wallabies’ rugby union Test against Argentina on September 13.

It means the venue cannot be used for the NRL finals after week one, though it had appeared unlikely to be used given the structure of the top eight.

Sydney FC’s A-League Men and Women will be forced to relocate, as will the competition’s showpiece event Unite Round, which was scheduled to take place at the venue in late November.

That may now need to be scrapped. The APL is delaying its fixture announcement given uncertainty around the future of besieged Victorian franchise Western United.

Sydney FC will need to relocate home games to a suburban ground such as Leichhardt Oval and may seek compensation.

The Sky Blues will return to Allianz Stadium in January 2026, but the venue will be ready in time to host concerts by US rapper Kendrick Lamar in early December.

During the 10-week repair process, new sand and turf will be fitted.

“Both Venues NSW and the NSW government have been clear from the start that the quality of the surface has not been up to our standards, and I am glad that we now have a path forward to rectify this matter,” said NSW sports minister Steve Kamper.

AAP