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Wests Tigers could play every home game of the 2028 season at Leichhardt Oval if the club can’t strike an agreement to stage some of its matches at CommBank Stadium.
The clash with the Gold Coast on Sunday will be the Tigers’ last at Leichhardt for almost two years as the venue gets a much-needed renovation. The club’s other home ground, Campbelltown Stadium, will undergo its own refurbishment in 2028, with the staggered timelines ensuring both venues won’t be shut down for construction at the same time.
Once both sets of works have been completed, the long-term strategy is for the Tigers to play at least seven times out of Campbelltown, with some of the other home matches to be staged at Leichhardt.
Negotiations have begun with Venues NSW about the prospect of holding a handful of 2028 season games at CommBank Stadium, where the Parramatta Eels are the anchor tenant. However, no agreement has been struck as yet.
Sources not authorised to speak publicly have told this masthead that if a deal can’t be done at CommBank, the Tigers are considering playing all their home matches – save for the “home” game slated for Suncorp Stadium during Magic Round – at Leichhardt Oval in 2028.
That could include staging a blockbuster local derby against Parramatta at the ground.
The move would be a win for fans who prefer to watch matches at boutique suburban stadiums, with the “Eighth Wonder of the World” an experience cherished by sections of the Tigers faithful.
While some supporters are critical of the lack of infrastructure – including limited parking and long queues for food or toilets – others are prepared to tolerate the inconvenience to be part of a unique game-day experience. The news will likely be welcomed by television networks, who prefer to broadcast from sold-out stadiums rather than an oversized ground with tens of thousands of empty seats.
Once the renovations are completed, Leichhardt will have a new northern grandstand with an additional 1,500 seats, “stadium” seating for the western grandstand and lower seating bowl, new change rooms, a gym and new change rooms.
Wests Tigers interim chief executive Shaun Mielekamp wouldn’t be drawn on the venue allocation for 2028, but said an upgraded Leichhardt will provide fans with an even more memorable experience.
“It means we come back to a stadium that is fit for purpose and allows us a good level of commercial viability,” Mielekamp said.
“We’ll get better bars, better food vendors. The hill remains, the scoreboard remains, all of those great things remain. What we’ll have is more people in the venue and better facilities for the players, including upgraded change rooms. There will also be a gym facility so that we can have our pathways and NRLW training there as well, which is great.”
The post-game experience is also poised to improve, with the Balmain Leagues Club slated to reopen in 2028. Developers will turn the site on Victoria Rd, which has been closed for more than 15 years, into a new clubhouse for Tigers fans to return to.
“With the redevelopment of the former Balmain Leagues Club site at Rozelle progressing well and on track to align with the revitalisation of Leichhardt Oval, these are exciting times for Wests Tigers,” said Daniel Paton, the CEO of the Holman Barnes Group, the majority shareholder in Wests Tigers.
“We’re very excited about what’s in store for our members, fans and the local community, including Wests APIA who will continue to play its home matches at the newly refurbished Leichhardt Oval as it pursues further success in the Australian Championship.”
Given it’s the last game at the stadium for an extended period, the Tigers-Titans game is the hottest ticket in town. It has been sold-out for days, despite coach Benji Marshall’s team coming off a 68-0 shellacking from Penrith last week.
“It’s a big occasion for everyone,” Marshall said. “In the context of our season, it’s a big game for us. Also for our fans and our crowd, for it to be the last game there for a while – from what I’ve heard it’s a sellout – that’s big for us.
“We love playing at Leichhardt and we love the support there. What we have got to do is give our crowd something to cheer about and bring them into the game.”
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