As the Sydney Football Stadium returns to hosting sporting events, a new documentary title Our Place: The Sydney Football Stadium is airing on Nine and Stan celebrating the history of the sportsground and what fans can expect from its future.
A centrepiece in Sydney’s sporting landscape since its last incarnation in 1988, and home to fans across three footballing codes, the stadium has played host to some of the biggest moments in Australian sport including Newcastle’s fairytale win in the dying stages of the 1997 NRL grand final, George Gregan’s Bledisloe saving tackle in 1994 or Steve Corrica’s history-making goal in the first A-League grand final.
Sydney Football Stadium: Our Place is a documentary that looks at the history of the namesake location. What came before, what was witnessed during the last three decades and what has transpired as a new stadium has risen from the rubble of the last. It follows the journey of the designers and builders who navigate the complexities of the last couple of years as they deliver a new stadium that will be a vessel for a new generation of men and women performing at the highest levels of their respective codes.
During the series, viewers hear from the commentators who called the moments (Ray Warren, Ray Hadley, Greg Clarke, Simon Hill, Robbie Slater), the players who created them (Brad Fitler, Alex Brosque, Steve Corica, Robbie Slater, Lloyd Walker, George Gregan, Phil Waugh, Phil Kearns, Chris Whittaker), the designers and builders who have created a stage for the next generation of footy players (Emily Chancellor, Kaitlan Leeney, Charlie Rule & Angus Bell) and the fans looking to come back.
The documentary was filmed over three years by hellofuture.tv, and hopes to showcase why transformative places mean so much to people and fans.
Filmmakers, director Pablo Jeffress and producer Emily Bull of HelloFuture.tv first started filming the stadium three years ago while working with their client, John Holland to document the construction process. “It wasn’t long before we realised there was a bigger story here,” said Jeffress. “The Sydney Football Stadium is a place that holds so many memories.”
A Sydney FC foundation member, Jeffress was particularly attached to the place and has sorely missed the the relocation of home games and disruptions with COVID. “We wanted to make a film that explores the significant role this place has had in shaping football culture, and how those of us who called the palace home can’t wait to come back”
Featuring interviews with up and coming sporting heroes including Angus Bell, Emily Chancellor, Charlie Rule, Kaitlan Leaney and many more, the anticipation and excitement about the new stadium is palpable. “A stadium like this has the opportunity of bringing people back to one place together,” says NSW Waratah and Wallaroo Emily Chancellor in the film.
Our Place: The Sydney Football Stadium will premiere on Stan and Nine on 2 September 2022.
