Penrith Park like you’ve never seen it: We take you behind the scenes on the eve of demolition

In the third of a three-part special, we say goodbye to Penrith Park as we know it ahead of a major refurbishment, and Venues NSW taking control. This week, we take you behind the scenes for one final time, and for a look at Penrith Park like you’ve never seen it before…

All the great stadiums of the world have tours available for sporting fans to catch a glimpse behind the curtain and to learn some fascinating history about their favourite club and the place they call home.

Even here in Australia, both the Melbourne and Sydney Cricket Grounds become huge tourist attractions thanks to daily stadium tours, often run by passionate volunteers.

Recently, the Panthers handed the keys over to Penrith Park so the Weekender could go exploring – a true inner sanctum experience with no area off-limits.

While stadium tours of Penrith Park were never made available to the general public, we hope this rare, behind-the-scenes look will shine a light on the humble venue as well as evoke plenty of memories…

A sign of the past

The first place we poked around was the player’s dressing rooms, located on the ground level of the Western Grandstand.

Walking through here was like stepping into a time machine and travelling some 50 years into rugby league’s past.

There was nothing modern about these facilities whatsoever. From ceiling fans without blades to old portable ice baths as well as massage tables and strapping chairs that have seen better days – this was a real eye opener and further proof that Penrith Stadium needs an overhaul desperately.

One thing we did find fascinating were several landline phones on the walls of the dressing rooms. These phones didn’t have a numbered keypad, instead they had just four buttons.

The first button was labelled ‘Coach’, the second was labelled ‘Change’ and the third was labelled ‘Field’. The fourth button had ‘Call’ above it. We think these simple phones would’ve got a real workout back in the ’90s when Phil Gould was in charge, but unfortunately they’ve been long disconnected.

Stairs to nowhere

One of our favourite discoveries on the tour was a set of internal stairs in the Western Grandstand that led to absolutely nowhere!

After ascending a few flights, the staircase just ended when the metal roof stopped us in our tracks.

Interestingly, right at the top of the stairs, was an old photo album from a Panthers Juniors Presentation Night from 20 years ago along with some old price point signage that was probably used at one of the bars or food vendors back in the day. We both picked up a ‘$2.50’ sign for our collection – the mind boggles as to what that was priced for!

The secret cupboard

Another great discovery was also in the Western Grandstand. We went up another set of stairs to a loft space, which overlooked the players’ warm up area and gym down below.

Up here was a locked walk-in storage cupboard. When we unlocked the door, we were greeted to a dark, cobweb filled, dusty room. When we switched on our phone torchers – American Pickers-style of course – we found an crumpled 2008 Penrith Panthers team poster just sitting there, a framed Wentworthville Magpies jersey tucked away in the corner and, on the floor, was a giant cardboard cut-out of former Panthers skipper and NRL great Petero Civoniceva!

More bizarre finds

If you thought those discoveries were out there… think again!

When we toured the club gym at the stadium, we spotted a fridge with not only plenty of OAK Plus inside but a dozen bottles of the famed pickle juice.

Speaking of fridges… who remembers the old Joak The Oak Fridge from 2012? Well, you’d be happy to know that the fridge, which had its own Twitter account, is still in good working order and is in the press conference room where the coaches and captains chat to the media after the match. We’re told this fridge is also utilised by lower grades teams on game day.

Another cool item we stumbled across was the Battle of the West Cup, which we found in the disused Rugby League Administration offices on the first floor of the Western Grandstand. This glorious silver cup was only ever handed out twice – to Parramatta in 2009 and to Penrith in 2010. It’s been collecting dust ever since!

Cheerleaders’ digs

The famous Pantherettes have been entertaining fans for decades at Penrith Park, and we were fortunate enough to check out their humble facilities on the tour. Inside the Cheerleaders Room, located on the first floor of the Western Grandstand, was a classic silver Sanyo widescreen TV from the 2000s era as well as an old school Mitsubishi Daiya air conditioner – you know the one that you had cooling your home decades ago?

We also stumbled upon old cheerleading pom-poms, the small foldable chairs the girls sit on during games, and the beloved Claws mascot costume!

Media, Production and Commentary boxes

Located on the top floor of the Western Grandstand were the media, production and commentary boxes. Some of Australia’s greatest sporting journalists, footy commentators and media personalities would have stepped foot in these very boxes over the many decades at Penrith Park.

In the Channel Nine commentary box, we particularly enjoyed seeing the black swivel chair with the name ‘RAY’ written on the back. We can only presume this was the chair of the great Ray Warren before he retired from full-time commentating back in 2021.

The production box, which the ground announcer sits in during games, was also a neat experience. This box was full of technology and gear – much of it outdated but still in top working order, we’re told.

There was giant sound mixer to control the volume as well as an Instant Replay hard disk device that housed all the songs and stings heard during games. From the full-time siren to the iconic Panther roar and AC/DC’s ‘Hells Bells’, this little weapon had the lot!

Casablanca Productions has produced the game day experience from this box for decades.

More than a Maintenance Shed

The Penrith Park maintenance shed, located underneath the Eastern Grandstand, had all the usual things you’d expect to find in a space like this – think John Deer tractors, lawnmowers and whipper snippers as well as other machinery and equipment to keep the stadium pitch and its surrounds looking a treat.

But one of the coolest historical pieces we spotted on our tour was old Panther scoreboard signage, in particular the names of sporting teams that had played at Penrith Park many years ago.

We particularly enjoyed seeing the clubs that either no longer exist or ones that visited from overseas like the UK, the US and the Pacific. Some of the team signs still on display in the shed include Bradford, Warringah, Waratahs, Crushers, Hunter, Waikato, Western Samoa and Minnesota.

Companion Podcast: Make sure you listen to our Panthers podcast, Tension’s Running High, for a special retrospective on the stadium. Search Western Weekender wherever you listen to podcasts or visit https://www.westernweekender.com.au/podcast.