The Knights are in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday 4 October, and Newcastle has two ways to be part of it: the free Grand Final Live Site at McDonald Jones Stadium, which starts at 3:30pm, or the trip down to Sydney for the game itself.
Either way it’s a big, loud, crowded day, and it goes a lot better when you know the access arrangements before you leave home. Here’s what has been published, and what we’ve checked ourselves.
The live site at McDonald Jones Stadium
The live site is free, but it’s ticketed: tickets are redeemed through Ticketmaster, so get yours before Sunday.
The stadium’s own accessibility page describes its everyday arrangements:
- Lifts in the centre of both grandstands to all levels, with tactile signage and controls within reach of wheelchair users.
- Step-free entry: the Eastern Stand and South Hill through Gate L via the Southwest Ramp; the North Hill through the western gates (the Gate 2 and 3 disability access points); the Western Stand through the turnstiles to the central lift.
- Reserved wheelchair seating in both grandstands, and wheelchairs welcome on the flat top of the general admission hills.
- Disability toilets on every floor, close to the wheelchair seating bays.
- Mobility parking close to each accessible entry, bought in advance.
- A Sensory Room at Bay 55 on the Western Level 1 Concourse, and a visual story made with Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) to help you prepare for a visit.
One caution, in the stadium’s own words: for concerts, “venue access, mobility drop-off points and parking options may have changed”. A live site is a one-off event too, so which stands open, where the screens are, and where drop-off and mobility parking sit may not match a Knights home game. Check the event’s page on the McDonald Jones Stadium website before you go, and if you need something arranged, use the Accessibility Assistance Form on the stadium’s accessibility page.
For wheelchair seats at Knights games, the stadium points to Ticketmaster on 1300 446 925. That’s a good first call for the live site too.
Getting there by train: Broadmeadow Station
Broadmeadow Station is under a kilometre from the stadium in a straight line, and it’s the first venue Inclusable has mapped on site, with photos of the accessible route. In short:
- Lifts connect the street, the underpass and the platforms, and a graded ramp with a handrail and tactile indicators leads down to the underpass.
- Platform 1 is for trains towards Sydney. Platforms 2 and 3 are for trains towards Newcastle.
- Signs at the underpass point the way to Newcastle Showground and the Entertainment Centre, next door to the stadium.
- There’s a signed accessible toilet on the station, with an Emergency Help point close by.
- The lifts are the only step-free way between the underpass and the platforms, so check they’re working before you travel.
Lift signs from the street 
The entrance and its signs 
The wide ramp to the underpass 
The platform lift 
Platform 2 and the way to the lift 
Signs point to the lift 
The accessible toilet
Under a kilometre in a straight line is still a walk on the day, and a crowded one. Plan your route from the station to your gate before Sunday, and leave extra time to get home: a big crowd leaving all at once is the hardest part of the day for a lot of people.
Heading to Sydney for the game
If you’re making the trip to Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park, the same station is a good place to start: trains towards Sydney leave from Platform 1. Step-free access to the platform doesn’t always mean level boarding onto the train, so if you use a wheelchair or need help getting on, ask station staff about a boarding ramp and assistance.
Our venue database records wheelchair access, step-free entry, accessible toilets and accessible parking at Accor Stadium. Those come from public listings rather than the stadium itself, and they describe everyday facilities, not the Grand Final setup. Check the stadium’s and your ticket seller’s accessibility information for the day, and book accessible seating as early as you can.
Grand Final day brings one of the biggest crowds of the year to Sydney Olympic Park and the trains that serve it. Build in time at both ends, and work out where you’ll take a break if you need one.
Before Sunday
- Live site: get your free ticket through Ticketmaster, and check the event page for which entries, stands and drop-off points are open.
- Need something arranged? Use the stadium’s Accessibility Assistance Form, or call Ticketmaster on 1300 446 925.
- If crowds are hard, note the Sensory Room at Bay 55 and read the visual story before you go.
- Travelling by train: check the lifts at Broadmeadow Station before you leave, and ask about boarding assistance if you need it.
- Going to Sydney: confirm your accessible seating and the stadium’s arrangements for the day, and plan the trip home before the final siren.
Stadium details come from McDonald Jones Stadium’s accessibility page, live site details from its Ticketmaster listing, and Broadmeadow Station from Inclusable’s own on-site mapping, all as of 1 October 2026. Each venue’s Inclusable page, linked above, has the full details. Check with the venue before you rely on any of them. Up the Knights.
