Penrith Stadium

Penrith Stadium, also known by its commercial name Pepper Stadium, is a rugby league and association football (soccer) stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthers who play in the National Rugby League (NRL). The all-time attendance record for the venue is 22,582 in a match between the Panthers and their Western Sydney rivals Parramatta on 17 July 2010.HistoryPenrith Stadium has been used by the Penrith Panthers since their entry into the National Rugby League competition in 1967. Initially, the Stadium only had one main grandstand, the Western grandstand while the ground itself was oval in shape. In the 1980s, the stadium was redeveloped into a rectangle arena more suitable for rugby league and other sports such as association football (soccer) and rugby union. This redevelopment also saw the construction of the Eastern Grandstand. In 2006, a joint Federal and State Government funding project saw $30 million worth of investments come to the Stadium. In the subsequent developments, the Western Grandstand was extended and revamped. Following the completion of the project, the Stadium now holds 8,000 seats in the Grandstand.Two of Samoa's 2008 Rugby League World Cup matches were played at CUA Stadium: their Group C game against Tonga and their 9th place play-off match against former twice World Cup Finalists France.