Macarthur FC eyes new home with $20 million Oran Park stadium proposal

Macarthur FC has proposed a $20 million modular stadium at Oran Park as a potential new A-League home, although funding and approvals remain unresolved following Camden Council’s consideration of the project.

Documents presented to council in May outline a temporary venue on privately owned land beside the Oran Park Hotel, with covered grandstands, a professional playing surface, broadcast-standard floodlighting and hospitality facilities.

The concept specifies approximately 6,000 general seats plus 500 corporate seats, with scope to expand to 10,000. Macarthur FC would be responsible for designing, constructing and operating the stadium.

The proposal’s original program targeted an October 2027 opening for the 2027–28 season, with construction during the first nine months of next year followed by commissioning and handover.

However, that timetable formed part of the club’s investment proposal and should not be considered a confirmed opening date.

The funding model sought $10 million from Camden Council in 2026–27 and another $10 million in 2027–28, covering the entire proposed design and construction cost.

At its May 12 meeting, council resolved that it was not in a position to proceed with the proposal using reserve funding or loan borrowings in its 2026–27 budget.

Councillors instead supported establishing a working group to investigate a council-owned community stadium within the Camden Growth Centre, close to a future Metro station, with an ambition to deliver it within five years.

That process remains underway. Council considered the working group’s governance arrangements in September and amended its constitution on October 13. Applications for community representatives are open until October 23.

Council says the group is advisory only, with any future stadium subject to further decisions, funding, planning approvals and statutory processes.

The Oran Park concept would provide a substantially smaller home for Macarthur FC, which currently plays at the 17,500-capacity Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

The Bulls have averaged 4,060 spectators at Campbelltown since entering the competition, while Saturday’s opening home match of the new season against Perth Glory attracted 3,441.

A smaller seating bowl could provide a more compact match-day setting, with the proposal also identifying academy fixtures, Football NSW events, concerts, festivals and community activities as potential uses.

Fellow expansion club Western United secured its A-League entry with a promise to build a 15,000-seat stadium at Tarneit in Melbourne’s west, but the venue never eventuated. Its A-League participation agreement and stadium development deal were terminated in August, while the company operating its Victorian competition teams was subsequently ordered to be wound up in insolvency.

The presentation forecasts more than 86 programmed event days annually, although these remain proposed bookings and attendance assumptions rather than a secured calendar.

Land tenure is another consideration. Council’s assessment noted discussions about a lease of up to 20 years, but said the landowner envisaged approximately five to eight years of stadium use before potential redevelopment.

Officers also identified financial, procurement and planning issues, and noted that a detailed construction cost estimate had not accompanied the submission.

The documents establish a proposal for a new football venue in Camden, but do not confirm a funded construction project or an approved move away from Campbelltown.

Separately, construction has commenced on Macarthur FC’s Centre of Excellence at Cawdor, near Camden, providing a new training and administration headquarters. The ownership-backed development includes grass and synthetic pitches alongside a 2,000-square-metre building housing changerooms, a gymnasium, rehabilitation facilities and club offices.