Telstra Stadium, Sydney

Venue Details

Official Name: Telstra Stadium
Sports: Australian Rules Football (AFL), Cricket, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer
Location: Homebush (Sydney), New South Wales, AUS
Opened: 1999
Capacity: 83,500

Other Information

Home of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (when known as Stadium Australia), Telstra Stadium is now the premier sports venue in Sydney and was the Headquarters for the Rugby World Cup 2003 with the opening game, both Semi Finals and the Final staged there.

Since playing host to sport in 1999, the ground has seen rugby union Test matches, rugby league grand finals, Australian rules football, one-day cricket, soccer and even American football.

Telstra Stadium has been reconfigured since the Sydney 2000 Olympics, reducing its capacity, but with 83,500 seats still available, the ground will be the largest venue in use during Rugby World Cup 2003.

It has seen seven rugby union Test matches and Australia has only suffered defeat twice, both times to New Zealand. One of those defeats (in June 2000) carried the significance of setting a world-record crowd figure for a rugby union Test, when 109,874 fans turned up to see New Zealand win a close match 39-35. France, South Africa and Wales are the only other international teams to have played at the venue before.

2003 state one-day cricket champions, the New South Wales Blues, have played 50-over matches at Telstra Stadium, while Sydney's Australian rules football team, the Sydney Swans, also use the venue.

Telstra Stadium was previously named Stadium Australia and is also known as Homebush Stadium.