Belmore benefits from Olympic makeover

Walking from the train station to Belmore Sportsground on a Sunday afternoon the first thing I noticed was the removal of the tired Sydney Olympic insignia on the stadium. It's been replaced with fresh Canterbury Bulldogs logos, but soon will also feature the Olympic brand once more. 

Change is in the air at this historic venue and Sydney Olympic officials are abuzz with excitement over further plans for their prized home ground. With renovations to the main grandstand completed, focus is now firmly on the next stage of development.

A performing arts complex, multicultural arts venue, a second grandstand on the main field and a new grandstand on an existing training ground (Peter Moore Field) are among proposals by the club's board of directors, proposals that have already passed the first level of government planning.

The aim? To engage the local community in such a way that turns the stadium into a cultural hub for the arts as well as sport. The culturally diverse Belmore area includes indigenous Australians through to the many waves of immigration from every continent and the Pacific, and Olympic want the Sportsground to become a melting pot for artistic and sporting talent from all sections of their community.

Club President Chris Tsioulos was keen to show The Football Sack plans for the entire complex, and spoke excitedly about the project, which also will feature a pathway around the stadium celebrating the multiculturalism of the area.

For more information on the project, read the PDF proposal here.