French energy giant Engie Group (which owns electricity retailer Simply Energy in Australia) has signed a naming rights deal with GWS Giants, under which Sydney Showground will be known as Engie Stadium for the next three years, effective immediately. Part of the sponsorship money will go to the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, which is the main owner of the venue.
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Will this be in place for Big Bash games and other non AFL events?
Yes, including the upcoming Royal Easter Show as well.
Here is an article from GWS website:
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This morning Gold Coast Suns announced that its home ground Heritage Bank Stadium would now be known as People First Stadium. It follows the merger of Heritage Bank and Peopleās Choice Credit Union last year to become People First Bank. The bankās legal name is Heritage and Peopleās Choice, and operates under the banking licence currently held by Peopleās Choice.
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Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, joined Kardinia Park Stadium Trust CEO Gerard Griffin and Geelong Cats premiership legend Joel Selwood at GMHBA Stadium this morning, announcing the stadium upgrade is now complete with the opening of stage 5, the Joel Selwood Stand. It was revealed that Victorian taxpayers contributed $263 million towards the five stages of upgrade.
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Unfortunately, itās not the best looking stadium.
The stadium design is all over the place.
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Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has called for a new stadium to be built in Canberra after an unpleasant smell was noticed at GIO Stadium yesterday afternoon, during his sideās 32-12 win over Wests Tigers.
In 2023, the ACT government pulled the plug on a potential new stadium in the city centre, instead opting to keep sporting events at the AIS campus in the suburb of Bruce.
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I thought all of Canberra had a āpungent aromaā. 
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I think the problem is more that the indecision on a new stadium means they arenāt willing to invest in the kind of refurb that could move GIO forward.
The only problem you canāt really resolve by a moderate cost refurb is that itās cold in winter, which would likely be very expensive. Forsyth Barr Stadium is the miracle model here - I have no idea how theyād be able to build something as cost effectively as that was done, but itās basically exactly what both Canberra (as a rectangle) and Hobart (as an oval) need.
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Christchurch is getting a roofed stadium too, due to open in 2026.
With Rebecca White still leading the charge against the stadium in Tasmania apparently sheās going to the launch of the Tasmania Football Club - the one which Jeremy Rockliff said he wouldnāt go to so that it wouldnāt politicise the event. With the stadium being the remaining sticking point to our team and licence itās going to be very interesting.
Iām heading along to the launch tomorrow because I got a ticket and apparently Devonport is going to be the main launch event with it live streamed to all the other sites - letās hope I donāt run into Rebecca White because I donāt want to have to try and bite my tongue so much.
Momentum is swinging towards our stadium though finally.
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It is also the victim of Territory/Federal Politics - technically itās part of the AIS campus (and owned by the Australian Sports Commission) but operated by the ACT Government, the Feds believe that the ACT should be funding the stadium upgrade, thanks in part to the AIS facility as a whole needing considerable investment.
Its time that tenant clubs start stumping up significant investments into stadia improvement instead of leaving it to the Government to carry the can. The Raiders and the Brumbies are the key tenants at GIO Stadium, they should be putting in some cash.
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I think this is the best option to be honest
This is a really interesting recommendation. I guess the biggest downside to both the Vic Park and Roma St proposals is the loss of green space for stadium purposes, which I can see the usual suspects getting upset about (the ever-reliable and now re-elected kneejerk Nicole Johnston has already done so).
My mind always goes to transport when it comes to these things, and I think if done well the Vic Park option could work. There is the busway but, as the existing Gabba shows, buses arenāt enough alone to service a big stadium well - you need trains. The Exhibition station is being upgraded as part of Cross River Rail and, if an appropriate connection such as a wide footbridge could be provided to it, that might work to help service the transport task.
Iām glad the thought-bubble of Brisbane Live over the railway tracks is dismissed. Yes, itās a great idea for what is unusable land in the City, but the cost was always going to be prohibitive.
And on the Gabba, while it would be sad to see a ground with such history gone, itās probably the sensible call to build something off-site then relocate rather than refurbish. And while it might seem now a waste that the new Gabba railway station wonāt service the stadium, there is a real opportunity for redeveloping that site into something that provides housing and services to the area, leveraging off its excellent connections to the city and inner suburbs.
(Cue the NIMBYs/local politicians immediately calling for the whole site to be converted to parkland nowā¦)
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Gabba site needs to be used for both green space and a 20k capacity rectangular stadium.
I highly doubt that. Green space and apartment towers.
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It looks like weāre going to get the worst of all possible options. Who in their right mind thinks using QEII is a good idea? Itās a 40-year-old dump in the middle of nowhere with no access.
And now we will be stuck with an ageing Gabba thatās already the fifth in line of the ovals across Australia (and will become sixth if/when Hobart gets their new stadium). Some legacyā¦
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Huh?
The recommendation is NOT to use QEII but build a new greenfield stadium at Victoria Park which will also replace the Gabba with a state of the art brand new stadium for cricket and AFL.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has rejected the recommendation of a new stadium at Victoria Park, instead announcing the 2032 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies would take place at an upgraded Suncorp Stadium.
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