ANZ Stadium - Interesting Facts

Throughout its short history, ANZ Stadium has been through a major reconfiguration in 2011 and may be going through another reconfiguration in the near future. The major configuration of the stadium occured straight after the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, which saw the shortening of the north and south wings as well as the installation of awnings in the north and south stands and movable seating sections in the lower part of the stadaium. This was done to accommodate other major Australian sporting events such as rugby and Australian Rules football to name a few.


ANZ Stadium before the configuration. Courtesy of skyscrapercity.com



 

ANZ Stadium after the configuration. Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

 In July 2013, the New South Wales Minister for Sport and Recreation released a plan for another reconfiguration of ANZ Stadium and its surroundings areas, including a retractable roof and another adjustment to the lower seating bowl to bring spectators closer to the action. In February 2014, ANZ Stadium's operator (Stadium Australia Operations Pty. Ltd.) called for an "Expression of Interest" to consortiums for the right to redevelop ANZ Stadium.

For more information, check out:
http://www.brookfieldmultiplex.com/projects/australasia/nsw/construction_and_development/tourism_and_leisure/completed/stadium_australia/
http://www.anzstadium.com.au/footer/news-and-media/2014/building-a-stadium-of-the-future/
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/anz-stadium-revamp-to-include-roof-under-250-million-state-government-plan/story-fni0cx12-1226672823616

ANZ Stadium - General Information

ANZ Stadium, sometimes referred to as Stadium Australia or the Olympic Stadium, is a multi-puropse stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct in Sydney, Australia. When the stadium opened, it contained a capacity of around 110, 000 in time for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Today, however, the stadium's overall capacity depends on which type type of field configuration is being used as the capacity with a rectangular field is said to be around 83, 500 while an oval field is around 82, 500.  With its large capacity, ANZ Stadium has hosted many different sporting events ranging from rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football, soccer and cricket. Unlike many other stadiums, ANZ Stadium has no definitive stands and is only referred to the basic names of the North, East, West and South stands.

For more information, check out the seating map of ANZ Stadium:
http://www.anzstadium.com.au/the-stadium/stadium-map/

ANZ Stadium with the oval configuration. Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

ANZ Stadium with the rectangular configuration. Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org 

There are several ways of getting to and from ANZ Stadium through public transport. These services may include buses, trains, ferries and taxis depending on schedule. Under normal circumstances, these services have definitive routes and schedules to arriving and departing the stadium and ususally operates daily. During any major events in the stadium, however, these services, particularly the bus and train services,operate under special timetables which allows the people to arrive at the stadium usually an hour or so before the start of the event provided you have a ticket to attend the event. The tickets are also useful as it usually translates into a free ride when using the normal public transport on the day of the event. Just check the NSW transport website for more details. I would advise anyone going to the stadium, especially during a major event, to utilise the public transport services as it is easily accessible and ensures that you focus your energy in enjoying whatever event you are there to see at ANZ Stadium.

For more information, go to:
http://www.anzstadium.com.au/getting-here/
http://www.sydneybuses.info/travelling-with-us/travelling-to-events/travelling-to-events.htm
http://www.sydneytrains.info/travelling_with/places_to_go/olympic_park
http://www.sydneybuses.info/
http://www.sydneytrains.info/

ANZ Stadium

 It was bigger than life. That’s what occurred to me when I hopped off the special events bus and walked a few metres into the view of ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing in front of me; there were also a huge amount of people bustling their own way through the tight-knit crowd. As far as the eye could see, people were in red, waving their flags and banners around, chanting the team’s iconic song in expectant of a great game and a win. After all, it was in their nature. It was July 20, 2013 when Manchester United came to town for a friendly match against the A-League All Stars. As a massive fan of the team from Manchester, I knew this was probably the biggest opportunity, in my short life, to see my heroes in action. So, there I was, walking towards this great stadium swarmed by the huge masses of people who share my support for the team.

ANZ Stadium before the match

As me and my parents got through the crowded, to say the least, front gates, we entered the spacious atrium with a makeshift in-stadium megastore selling official merchandise. Then, we made our way to, at least, four flights of escalators to where our seats were allocated which was at second tier of the East stand. We ate first, ordering a hot dog and chips with soft drinks, from the concession stand located on the second tier atrium in the East Stand. In my opinion, the food tasted pretty basic I suppose, but it was good enough. Then a few minutes or so, game time was approaching and 83, 000 people or so started filing in. 

Inside the stadium before the match

Fans in the South Stand before the match

So, the game began. The atmosphere was great accompanied by deafening chants and roars of the crowd, mainly from the East Stand since we couldn't quite hear the ones on the other stands, especially when a United player scored. That occurred quite often since United scored 5 times. Near the end of the match, the crowd of 83, 000 people or so began engaging in a Mexican wave. This happened for 10 minutes or so and, to me, was the best part of the whole experience. Then, as the game finished, people began filing out in the same manner that they entered but the hassle was worth it. Our team won and 83,000 people or so, including me, went home very happy.

Last look at ANZ Stadium after the game

Eden Park - Interesting Facts

Eden Park contains many different features as it underwent an ample amount of development and redevelopments since its existence in 1900. Most recently, the stadium was redeveloped in 2010 in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The redevelopment of the stadium saw the capacity increase from 50 000 to 60 000 by the addition of a rebuilt 22 000 capacity of the South Stand as well as portable tiers located in the East Stand and West Stand. These portable tiers were soon dismantled after the World Cup and sent to London for the construction of the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Olympic Games. There were also several added features to the stadium most notably the 9,527 square meter Texlon ETFE facade, the first of its kind, to resemble the iconic fern emblem of New Zealand.

Eden Park's Texlon ETFE facade courtesy of architecturenow.co.nz

For more information, go to:
http://edenpark.co.nz/about/history/
http://www.aurecongroup.com/en/projects/property/eden-park-redevelopment.aspx
http://www.vector-foiltec.com/en/projects/pages/nz-auckland-eden-park-stadium.html
http://architecturenow.co.nz/articles/eden-park/

Eden Park - General Information

Eden Park is a multi-purpose stadium located in Auckland, New Zealand. Throughout its existence since 1900, the stadium has hosted numerous sporting events ranging from rugby union, cricket, rugby league and, even, football. Eden Park has also played host to important sporting tournaments, most recently, the Rugby World Cup in 2011. To date, Eden Park is the largest stadium in New Zealand and has a capacity of 50,000 and is composed of four main stands: The ASB Bank Stand (North Stand), East Stand, West Stand and the South Stand.

Eden Park Layout courtesy of edenpark.co.nz

The ASB Bank Stand

East Stand

    

West Stand

South Stand

There are several ways to get to Eden Park through public transport. This may include buses, trains and even ferries depending on its availabilty. For normal circumstances, I would advise to utilise the bus and train services as both have designated routes to and from the stadium. Under special circumstances, however, like during an event held at the stadium, it would very wise to utilise the public transport services since matchday ticket allow you to utilise these services for free. Also, it provides you with direct access to and from the stadium. Just make sure to check the official Auckland transport website for more details on routes and special events transport. Below are links to Auckland transport website concerning journey planner and special events:
-  http://www.maxx.co.nz/journey-planner.aspx
- http://www.maxx.co.nz/info/events.aspx

Eden Park

I went to Eden Park during the winter of 2011, three months or so before the Rugby World Cup. Upon seeing it for the first time, as I walked briskly towards it, one thing occurred to me; it was huge. In fact, as I got closer, it became colossal. Me and my parents entered the stadium to join up with the tour. The tour began in the first tier of the South Stand amongst the walkway where the concession stands are located. After being given general information about the stadium, we went to second tier of the East Stand where the additional seats were installed in the form of an added tier, which was done to accommodate more spectators for the Rugby World Cup since Eden Park was the venue for, most importantly, the Rugby World Cup Final amongst other matches. We continued along into the coaches' box, the home team's locker room and, most importantly, the tunnel where the players will come out from to the loud roar of the fans come September that year.

View of the West Stand from the coaches' box

View from the coaches' box

View from the players' tunnel

View from the players' tunnel

View from the East Stand

View from the South Stand

 

The ASB Bank Stand façade

As we got off the bus into the drop off area, the cold winter air whipped through as the supporters wearing blue and white excitedly walked into the colossus that was Eden Park. Soon enough, it was our turn to enter the gates and embarked upstairs. Once we've reached the summit, the cold winter air was replaced by the sense of excitement and anticipation that will keep these spectators occupied for 2 hours or so. Eden Park played host to an ITM Cup between the home team, Auckland Blues, against Christchurch. When the game began, Christchurch were off the blocks quickly and it reflected in the scoreboard much to the disappointment of the crowd except for two Christchurch fans, sitting in front of us in the first tier of the South Stand, who were cheering like it's New Year's Eve. Once Auckland got going and started scoring, the crowd suddenly came to life with fans cheering, applauding and fist pumping the chilly air. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the home side for the home supporters as Auckland went to lose that match, albeit in a high scoring affair. As for the experience, it was quite unbelievable even if the stadium wasn't filled to capacity. After all, it was their sport being played at the very best.

Welcome All!!!

Welcome to the Stadium Experience. The blog which explores everything about stadiums from first-hand experience to useful information and trivia.