CommBank ‘bank’ on Bankwest Stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, September 27^th, 2021

Image: Bankwest Stadium

The financial services company CommBank has expanded its support for Western Sydney (Australia) to help the region recover and rebuild after being one of the hardest hit in the country with COVID-19 lockdowns and the Delta variant pouncing on the country full throttle.

The ‘Bankwest Stadium’ stated that as part of its expanded commitment, the bank announced on September 21^st two significant investments, a multiyear partnership for a Western Sydney landmark and funding to help local small businesses with the opportunity to connect with more customers.

Sydney (Australia)-headquartered the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

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The ‘Bankwest Stadium’ further stated that the multiyear partnership with Venues NSW is for the naming rights of the Western Sydney Stadium. Bankwest Stadium will officially become known as CommBank Stadium from October 1^st. Located in the heart of Parramatta (Australia), the 30,000-seat stadium has firmly established itself as an iconic and critical piece of community infrastructure for sport and entertainment, as well as for diverse business, cultural and community events.

The CommBank has also announced a $120,000 investment to help small businesses in the 12 Western Sydney Local Government Areas (LGAs) that have been subject to the harder lockdown restrictions. CommBank will be working with the Chamber Alliance of Western Sydney to help small business in these LGAs to market their activities as the region comes out of lockdown in the lead-up to Christmas. Activities will include local advertising and social media, to tailored initiatives for small businesses in these areas.

The Commonwealth Bank CEO, Matt Comyn, averred, “Western Sydney is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and a key engine room for the national economy. We know the area has been hit hard by the recent COVID-19 restrictions and we’re committed to investing in Western Sydney to help businesses get back on their feet and rebuild after an incredibly challenging 2021. We are committed to their long-term success and we want to reconnect small businesses with their communities, because these businesses are the lifeline of our economy.”

Added Comyn, “We’re also excited to continue backing the stadium within the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) Group – it has been a valuable facility in providing economic opportunities to the area and will continue to be an important part of the community, particularly through recovery as the local areas and New South Wales starts to reopen.”

The Minister for Western Sydney, The Honorable Stuart Ayres, asserted, “Western Sydney businesses and communities are resilient and we will rebuild to be stronger, but it will take the support of many and it’s encouraging to see CBA committed to supporting small businesses and Greater Western Sydney.”

The Minister for Sport, Natalie Ward, noted, “The stadium offers a world-class experience and has fast become a fan favorite. It will be fantastic to see supporters back at the newly-named CommBank Stadium, once the health advice says it’s safe to do so.”

The announcement follows the NSW Government announcement on September 20^th of the new WestInvest Fund for Western Sydney.

CBA’s investment in Western Sydney complements the bank’s existing partnerships with Football Australia as the official naming rights partner and bank of the national women’s team, the Matildas, Junior Matildas and Young Matildas.

The Western Sydney Stadium partnership and the Chamber Alliance program are in addition to other local support measures offered by the bank, which include: Coronavirus support measures, opening 14 dedicated vaccination centers for staff and members of their household across various LGAs of concern and providing small businesses with access to counseling services to help alleviate any mental stress.

For small businesses, the CBA is also running a webinar series throughout October, specifically for Western Sydney businesses to help them navigate the flow on impacts of the COVID-19 restrictions. Topics will cover ecommerce strategy, safely receiving payments online, driving sales online, and mental health webinars facilitated by Smiling Mind.

Working with the Stadium, CBA is also scheduling a business fair early in the New Year to support Western Sydney businesses.

The $5 billion WestInvest Fund for Western Sydney is for building new and improved facilities and local infrastructure to help communities hit hard by COVID-19.

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