Bankwest Stadium to be rebranded CommBank Stadium
Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium will have a new name from October, with the commercial naming rights partner for the venue to transition from Bankwest to the Commonwealth Bank.
The 30,000-capacity venue, known non-commercially as Western Sydney Stadium, opened in 2019 at a cost of $360 million and despite signing an initial seven-year, will have a name change after just two and a half years.
Bankwest is operated as a division of the Commonwealth Bank, with the bank’s executive general manager of commercial banking, Mark Couter, saying the change to CommBank “aligns to CBA’s broader support of Australian sport”, which already includes the naming rights to the national women’s soccer team, the Matildas.
Home of the Parramatta Eels and Western Sydney Wanderers, the initial naming rights deal was worth a reported $17 million in 2019, with CommBank committing to a ‘multi-year partnership’ with Venues NSW, who run the venue on behalf of the NSW Government.
The move is part of CommBank’s decision to expand its support for Western Sydney, including local small businesses, to help the region recover and rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic. Bankwest is part of the CBA Group.
Working with the Stadium, CBA is also scheduling a business fair at CommBank Stadium early in the New Year to support Western Sydney businesses showcase their products.
Stadium CEO Daryl Kerry said venue branding – including the large signage on the outside of the building – would switch over to CommBank Stadium next month.
The rebranding will be in place for the new A-League season, which is scheduled to commence on October 30. Sydney is set to welcome back crowds to stadiums, capped at 5000, when the state reaches its 70% double-dose vaccination target, expected to be mid-late October.
