Last week I watched in awe standing in the middle of the new $828 million Allianz Stadium in Moore Park as I had the privilege to be present at an SCG Trust-organised ceremony honouring five Australian sporting champions, including my great uncle, Johnny Warren.
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Johnny, along with rugby league legends Ron Coote and Arthur Beetson, four-time Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert and rugby union great Nick Shehadie were celebrated and remembered by a "ring of champions", which sees the names of these sporting heroes situated around the stadium concourse.
Group general manager of the SCG Trust Phillip Heads confirmed to me on the day that fans had placed an Australian scarf on Johnny's statue just a week earlier, which he said only justified their decision to have it on stadium grounds.
The stadium itself is something I have been waiting to see for three long years as a sporting fan. Immediately walking inside I felt refreshed at the sight of the new chairs, stands and eateries.
The seating provides a lot of excitement for football fans. Supporters will be looking down on the players which, in a full stadium, will create an atmosphere similar to European football, especially in round one of the A-League when Sydney take on Melbourne in the Big Blue.
My immediate thought brought me to a comparison to that of the new CommBank Stadium in Parramatta. The new bench and tunnel design is something that seems to be becoming the modern norm.
As I looked up to the stands in the middle of the pitch last week, 15-plus years of memories flashed before my eyes as the feeling of nostalgia washed over me. Major moments in the A-League such as Dwight Yorke's first goal in 2005 to more recently when Sydney beat Victory in the 2017 grand final on penalties.
Rhyan Grant's equaliser in that game is still the loudest and most surreal moment I have ever experienced in a sporting stadium in Australia. I got goosebumps at the thought of watching football in that stadium again and the thought of seeing more Grant-esque moments saw the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Despite all the noise from those that questioned if the stadium was needed, seeing it in person was sensational. If we as a country are to be taken seriously on the global stage in not only just football but sport as a whole, we need world class facilities. This stadium paves the way for the future but does not forget our past, as my Uncle Johnny would have wanted.
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