CommBank Stadium
Project Overview
The state-of-the-art CommBank Stadium, formally known as BankWest Stadium, is the most recent collaboration of Motz and Australian firm, HG Sports Turf. The companies have a longstanding partnership that began over twenty years ago, during the planning of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Located in Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, NSW, CommBank Stadium is a 30,000- capacity, multi-purpose arena primarily used for professional soccer and rugby. It’s home to the Parramatta Eels and Western Sydney Wanderers. The stadium construction and field revitalization was part of a more extensive area redevelopment.
Motz and HG Sports Turf joined forces to equip CommBank Stadium with AirPAT™ – a cutting-edge, fully automated vacuum, ventilation, and natural grass root zone management system, that ensures the best possible growing environment for natural grass all year round. Work began in February 2018, and the stadium opened in April 2019.
The Situation
The stadium bowl structure negatively impacted the environmental conditions of the field. Lack of sunlight, poor airflow, and reduced temperature created adversity in turf management and performance. Increased moisture porosity and reduced aeration porosity, along with the risk potential of rainfall events, resulted in poor agronomic conditions that impacted the playing surface.
The Play
HG Sports Turf undertook the installation of the AirPAT playing field system while Motz provided technical oversight and consultation, supplying the proprietary materials that included customized drainage components, control hardware, software, and electromechanical equipment. The playing surface installed at CommBank Stadium is a hybrid grass product called Eclipse, which is one of the world’s most widely used mat-type stabilized natural grass products. Due to their ongoing partnership and collective innovation efforts, Motz and HG Turf teams were jointly responsible for the development of this improved hybrid grass system.
The technologies installed at CommBank Stadium make it possible to manage the aeration and moisture of the field surface, thus protecting, enhancing, and regulating field conditions for sports and non-sports events.
Motz provided full-service support throughout the installation and construction process of the AirPAT system at the CommBank Stadium. Motz’s constant strive and determination to improve the turf industry through collaboration and innovation is what makes them the go-to company to work with and a trusted partner to HG Sports Turf.
The Win
- SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE
AirPAT’s underground drainage system ensures an extremely high-quality athletic field surface in all conditions. The system is the first of its kind in Australia and is expected to be the best professional athletic surface in the country. - CONSISTENT
The firm, fast surface of CommBank Stadium’s field isn’t just consistent –it’s incredible. AirPAT features vacuum drainage and forced air ventilation, heating and cooling controls, and continuous rootzone monitoring, both onsite and remotely. - SUSTAINABLE
With AirPAT, water conservation is a built-in feature via the water recycling and sub-irrigation systems. The stadium uses 20% less water than standard practice, achieved through AirPAT’s unique rainwater collection technology and stadium roof.
Ready to Get Started?
Interested in starting a project? Have questions about our process and products? Wherever you are in planning your dream field, we’re ready to walk through your specific needs, answer any questions you have, and talk through how our team of experts will be there to guide you every step of the way.
