- Standing water on the surface at a recent NRL match
- Questions were raised as to why the new site had poor drainage.
- The governing body assures fans that the final problem will be fixed
Allianz Stadium officials are confident the ground will be fit to cope with any heavy rain during the NRL finals, while investigations into the site’s drainage continue.
There were some eyebrows raised after last week’s swampy conditions during the Sydney Roosters’ game against Parramatta, with large puddles of water on the surface.
The stadium received 11.5mm of rain in the 15 minutes before the match, but its drainage systems were deemed more than capable of absorbing such a quantity quickly.
Much to the dismay of the two-year-old, $828 million venue, the turf at Brookvale Oval appeared to hold up much better to the heavy rain.
Investigators are examining the condition of the turf and drainage, with the next match at Allianz Stadium being an NRLW-NRL double-header on September 1.
The stadium is also scheduled to host at least one finals match next month.
Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels players had to deal with large puddles of water on the pitch at the new Allianz Stadium
Ground crew attempted to drain some of the water with pitchforks during half-time.
Pumps had to be brought in to drain the excess water that had accumulated in the corner of the field.
Immediate work has been carried out in an attempt to avoid short-term problems, while officials still await the results of further tests.
“Investigations are ongoing into the turf drainage at Allianz Stadium and it has been confirmed that upcoming NRL matches and finals will go ahead as planned,” a Venues NSW spokesperson said in a statement.
‘Immediate steps have been taken to improve turf drainage, including a comprehensive drilling and aeration process.
‘Further testing will continue and work is scheduled to replace the grass after the concerts in October.’
The Allianz Stadium is built with a layer of gravel and sand beneath the grass, which is designed to help with drainage.
The stadium’s turf comes from a grass farm in Windsor, an area that suffered severe flooding before the surface was first laid at Allianz Stadium in 2022.
This has prompted suggestions that there could be concerns about silt levels, which have the potential to affect water flow.
The turf was tested before being laid and officials confirmed the surface was removed last summer as planned after a series of concerts.
Instead, grass from the same turf crop was used, which was not affected by the floods.