The South Sydney Rabbitohs are reportedly entertaining a key shift in venue for 2023, wanting to play their home games out of the new Sydney Football Stadium in a move to get away from Homebush.
The Rabbitohs, who still run training, administration and multiple lower grade fixtures out of Redfern Oval, played their home games at the Sydney Football Stadium from 1988, having used Redfern from 1948 until then.
The club would then move to Homebush ahead of the 2006 season, with the move generating millions of dollars for the club following the expiration of their agreement to play at Moore Park.
However, the club now want to return to the city venue that will reopen at the back-end of this season with a clash between the Roosters and Rabbitohs, with state government funds channeled away from formerly promised upgrades to Stadium Australia, which would have made it a permanent rectangular facility.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, those lack of upgrades will ultimately put the nail in the coffin for the Rabbitohs' partnership with Homebush, who will be left with just one regular tenant in the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs, for their part, have also been shuffling some games away from Homebush, playing a handful out of the new Western Sydney Stadium at Parramatta.
It means the Rabbitohs will share the new Football Stadium with the Roosters.
South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly told the publication that the club want the best matchday experience for players, members, fans and commercial partners, which requires investment into what is now known as Accor Stadium.
“The NSW Government first released a NSW stadia strategy that identified the need for significant investment in Accor Stadium so it could maintain its place as an elite venue for sport in Australia in 2012,” Solly said.
“Every version of this strategy, funding proposal, investment case and MOU since then has confirmed the need for this investment. Our club have been vocal supporters of investment in sporting infrastructure across NSW, and we understand these decisions are complex with many stakeholders and involving significant investment.
“We aren’t being critical, but believe that after a full decade of strategies, discussions, MOU’s and investment cases, it is time for a definitive conclusion. We want the best match-day experience for our players, members, fans and commercial partners - which will require investment into Accor Stadium, particularly the configuration, seating and facilities in the lower bowl.”