PNG National Football Stadium

PNG National Football Stadium, originally known as Lloyd Robson Oval, is the national stadium of Papua New Guinea and has been the home ground of the national rugby league team since 1975. The stadium has hosted a variety of events including a number of Rugby League World Cup matches.

CHALLENGE. The catalyst for this development was the Pacific Games, which PNG hosted in July 2015, and which provided the opportunity to upgrade many of the nation’s sporting facilities.

There were several major challenges with the stadium but the greatest were cost and accessibility of materials. The project had a low budget so innovative solutions were found for both the seating and the fabric roof.  Papua New Guinea has a very small manufacturing base and that meant all material had to be manufactured overseas and shipped in to PNG, including the structural steel components, modular seating system and fabric roof.

The redeveloped stadium has 3,000 permanent seats and 9,000 lightweight seats, with an ultimate capacity of 25,000 permanent seats. The facility also includes 500 corporate seats, a viewing deck and members seating for an additional 300 people.

INNOVATION. Built to be a multipurpose venue, the PNG National Football Stadium is able to host football, volleyball, touch 7s and rugby league. The renovation has given the stadium a new visual appeal, using the Papua New Guinea’s traditional colors of black, red and yellow in the textures and patterns.

Meeting international sports standards, the gym facilities, recovering areas and change rooms are world-class, as well as the field and the broadcast facilities. Additionally, the fans have a vibrant environment within the corporate suites, enclosed corporate lounge with reserved premium seating and open-air bar.

IMPACT. The people of Papua New Guinea are very proud of their stadium and see it as a catalyst for the development of sport at all levels. Rugby League is very much part of the culture and people also value the fact their stadium can attract international matches. It is sustainable and can be developed and further adapted over time.

Home to the Hunters, the local Papua New Guinea team, the venue held the 2016 Women’s Under-20 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 Rugby League World Cup — which gave the stadium its biggest attendance with two consecutive sell-outs.