Allianz Stadium officials have admitted that Friday night’s swampy surface was unacceptable, and an investigation has been launched into the $828 million stadium’s drainage system.
Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson described the pitch as “one of the worst he’s ever played on” after 11.5mm of water fell 15 minutes before kick-off.
The Eels and Roosters players were soaked from the first minutes and soon large puddles of water could be seen all over the field.
The surface of the two-year-old stadium looked considerably worse than suburban Brookvale Oval on Sydney’s northern beaches, which was also hit by a flood of water earlier on Friday night during the 6pm match.
“11.5mm of rain fell at Allianz Stadium in 15 minutes prior to kick-off on Friday night as a heavy storm moved in and drainage issues arose during the match,” a Venues NSW spokesperson said.
‘This is a brand new stadium and this shouldn’t have happened.
‘We take this seriously and have already started a thorough investigation to determine the cause and ensure the issue is resolved.
“The investigation will be completed by the end of this week and further updates will follow.”
Allianz Stadium officials have admitted that Friday night’s swampy surface was not up to par, and an investigation has now been launched into the $828 million venue’s drainage system (pictured, workers wielding pitchforks during a break in the match).
In contrast, the surface at Brookvale Oval on Sydney’s Northern Beaches held up well despite the rain during the match between the Sea Eagles and the Warriors (pictured Manly lock Jake Trbojevic)
Stadium staff have two weeks until the next football match at Allianz Stadium: an NRLW-NRL dual on September 1.
The stadium will also host at least one NRL finals match next month.
The Allianz Stadium was built with a layer of gravel and sand under the grass for better drainage.
However, Friday night’s problem appeared to be on the surface as it took a long time for the water to soak into the grass.
The first grass for the stadium in 2022 came from Windsor after flooding in the region raised concerns about the amount of silt that could affect the flow of water.
But the grass at Allianz Stadium was reportedly re-laid last summer, following a series of off-season music concerts at Moore Park.
It comes after the taxpayer-funded facility was criticised online by football fans for failing to install basic drainage, like suburban sports parks, after the site turned into a water disaster on Friday night.
Sydney was hit by severe weather overnight, with lightning and flood warnings in place.
And the deluge exposed the supposedly luxurious Allianz Stadium, but the fans were not impressed.
Roosters’ Spencer Leniu scores a try by sliding through a huge puddle of water at Allianz Stadium on Friday
“A brand new facility costing over $800 million shouldn’t be that expensive. Drainage was non-existent,” one viewer posted.
‘Who moved tonight’s NRL match between Roosters and Eels to Allianz Aquatic Centre? All that money and they forgot to put in drainage,’ added another.
“It needs to be dug up completely and proper drainage needs to be put in. The fact that the water stayed there the entire game when it wasn’t raining means something is seriously wrong. That was paid for with taxpayers’ money.”
The players slid through the mud throughout the match and the Roosters eventually won 38-14.
Clint Gutherson, the Parramatta skipper, was furious about the state of the water surface.
“It was one of the worst fields I’ve played on in a long time, especially with the fields these days, which are normally quite fast… and I didn’t think it was raining that much,” he said.
“It was hard to play in… we didn’t realise it was that bad until we got outside and your feet were completely under water.”
It wasn’t all sour grapes on the losing side: the Roosters and James Tedesco were also shocked by the state of the playing field.
“It was pretty crazy,” he said.
‘I mean, when we got here two hours before the game, the field looked great… and then a big rain shower came down and it was soaking wet.
‘As the game went on it got drier, but in the middle (of the pitch) it didn’t bounce as much and it was quite slippery.
“These were tough conditions.”
Many football fans pointed out that Four Pines Park, better known as Brookvale Oval, also had a flood of water, but the water was drained perfectly.
‘Brookvale Oval received the same amount of rain but the surface was immaculate,’ said one fan.
@AllianzStadium @VenuesNSWCan you explain if this is mismanagement or poorly installed drainage. Brookvale Oval had no problem, and neither did my back garden.
Fox Sports analyst Yvonne Sampson also criticized Allianz’s poor playing surface.
Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson said it was one of the ‘worst fields he’d ever played on’
Roosters captain James Tedesco is tackled as mud and water splash from the surface
This is [supposed to be] a state-of-the-art stadium…..Brookvale [Oval] “It didn’t look like it,” she said.
Fellow commentator and former Brisbane Broncos star Corey Parker agreed.
“It’s certainly not the conditions you would expect in a stadium like this after so much money has been spent on the renovation,” he said.
‘I understand there’s been a heavy downpour, but it just looks devilish.
‘In 40 minutes, that [rain] ‘didn’t go away at all.’
