Campbelltown's council has called for state and federal support to help upgrade their stadium and keep the NRL's Wests Tigers playing out of Sydney's south west.
A day after Tigers CEO Shane Richardson threatened to quit playing in the area if the council did not commit to a $50 million upgrade of Campbelltown Sports Stadium, officials renewed calls for help.
In a statement, the council conceded on Thursday that "significant infrastructure upgrades are required to bring the stadium in line with modern standards".
The comments came after Richardson argued the stadium was not up to NRL standard, wanting better corporate facilities and a capacity of up to 24,000.
Richardson said his club wanted a commitment before June 30, or else the Tigers would consider vacating the venue, also home to the Macarthur Bulls in the A-League as well as community events.
The Tigers CEO made a similar threat to Inner West Council over Leichhardt Stadium last year, before receiving a combined $40 million in promised government improvements.
Richardson's announcement was viewed by many as deliberately timed, in the middle of a federal election campaign.
On Thursday, Campbelltown mayor Darcy Lound backed the call for improvements, but indicated money would need to come from state and federal governments.
"We've been consistent in our message: Campbelltown deserves a stadium that reflects the ambition and growth of our city," Lound said.
"Council has done the groundwork. What we need now is a firm funding commitment from both state and federal governments."
The coalition this week pledged $3.7 million for the ground if they win the May 3 federal election.
Richardson has made a concerted effort to ensure the Tigers have better links with the Macarthur region since taking over as CEO in late 2023.
The area has a similar number of juniors playing rugby league in the area to Penrith, but, unlike the Panthers, the Tigers have struggled to turn that into on-field success.
The veteran administrator conceded to AAP last year that the club had previously not "ensconced" itself in the area, and in turn could not expect support from fans from Campbelltown.
But even with that, the joint-venture opted to reduce its number of games at both Leichhardt and Campbelltown in 2025.
The club are contracted to play four games at Campbelltown in both 2025 and 2026, with an option to extent that into 2027.
Richardson made clear on Wednesday he was not making hollow threats, hoping for $100 million in funding commitments in the longer term.
"Unless it improves, it's a very simple thing - I don't do Trumpian threats - we won't play there, it's as simple as that," Richardson said on the club's podcast.
"At the moment, it's not a standard that's required to be an NRL ground.
"The opportunity for Campbelltown is that they've got a team that wants to play there.
"All they've got to do is provide a stadium to a standard that we can actually make money out of."
