It’s172 days since the last rugby league match at Accor Stadium, but the Olympic venue has been anything but idle.
In the period between last year’s NRL grand final in October and Thursday night’s Panthers-Rabbitohs clash, Accor Stadium has hosted Monster Jam, two The Weeknd concerts, four Coldplay gigs, Juicy Fest, two Luke Combs shows, Mayday and the Race of Champions.
Those events have brought more than 700,000 fans through the gates since the Panthers and Roosters claimed victory in the NRL and NRLW grand finals respectively.
Mayday saw the biggest stage ever constructed inside Accor Stadium, running almost the entire length of the western grandstand.
Time-lapse footage obtained by this masthead shows the huge logistical exercise it has taken to transform the stadium from footy to entertainment mode and then back again.
The Race of Champions saw the field of play converted to a one-kilometre racetrack, with the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Valterri Bottas, Mick Schumacher, Travis Pastrana, Molly Taylor and other motoring stars going head-to-head in identical cars. The Race of Champions track took eight days to build, with stadium staff working 24 hours a day, and just two days to dismantle.
The Race of Champions event at Accor Stadium earlier this month.Credit: Getty Images
Some 200 trucks of asphalt and 50 trucks of road-base material were required to build the 4000-tonne track. Since the Race of Champions, the field has been stripped back to its original condition, and ready-to-play turf grown at Pitt Town has been installed.
Accor Stadium curator Joel Toogood said it took 40 truck loads of turf, and five days to install, to get the venue football ready.
“After a busy concert season and a car race in the middle of Accor Stadium, we’re ready for the return of NRL tonight,” Toogood said.
“Our team’s been working around the clock for the past 15 days with ready-to-play turf installed, lines marked and posts in place ready for kick off.”
The goalposts were up on Sunday and the first line markings of the year were laid on Tuesday, ready for the round-four battle between South Sydney and Penrith.
There will be plenty of football played in the Homebush Bay precinct over the coming months as Accor hosts the home seasons for the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs, a State of Origin clash, NRL and NRLW grand finals, the British and Irish Lions Tour, as well as two Oasis concerts and Metallica in November.
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