Wests Tigers Call For $50M Investment In Campbelltown Sports Stadium

NRL club Wests Tigers have threatened to leave Campbelltown Sports Stadium unless there is a $50 million commitment to upgrade the facilities at the venue.

Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson has given Campbelltown City Council until June 30 to reach a heads of agreement, otherwise he will explore moving the club to one of Sydney’s other stadiums from 2026.

Campbelltown Sports Stadium serves as one of several home grounds of the Wests Tigers and was the home of the Western Suburbs Magpies between 1987 and 1999 prior to their merger with the Balmain Tigers.

On a special episode of Behind the Roar, Richardson said Campbelltown Sports Stadium is not a fit-for-purpose, modern venue that meets the standards for professional rugby league in Sydney’s southwest, and that the club, council and NRL are working together to try and ensure that Wests Tigers continue to play at the venue over the next 10-15 years.

He said a significant investment of $50m in the short term (3 years) and $100M over the next 5-10 years is required. This would upgrade the venue to a stadium that makes it financially viable for NRL and NRLW games to be played there.

These upgrades would boost the seating capacity to 24,000 fans and accommodate 1,500 corporate guests. There would also be improvements to dressing rooms, big screens, LEDs, and general fan comfort.

“The council is aware that a commitment needs to be made to these upgrades by June 30th, 2025; otherwise, the club will be forced to explore other options.”

He also said ongoing discussions are continuing regarding revamping and upgrading Leichhardt Oval as part of the new strategic plan.

Currently, the Wests Tiger are committed to play four NRL games per season at Campbelltown Stadium during the 2025 and 2026 NRL seasons, two home games at Leichhardt Oval, and another four at Venues NSW venues such as Allianz Stadium and CommBank Stadium.

Richardson added “to be the great club we want to be, and to have the quality of players we need to have; to have the vision we need to have, we need a stadium to build ourselves around, other than just Leichhardt. If we don’t have that stadium, we need to find one.”

Richardson threatened to leave Leichhardt Oval last year if money wasn’t spent on the inner-western Sydney venue, only for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns to later announce a $40 million redevelopment package.

A-League club Macarthur FC also calls Campbelltown Stadium home.

The Tigers announced in 2023 that $16.7 million in funding had been approved for Campbelltown City Council to construct a new Sport and Health Centre of Excellence adjacent to the Campbelltown Sports Stadium.