Venues NSW wants the Berejiklian government to give it the option to require people attending major events to provide proof they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The agency runs venues throughout NSW including McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Sydney Football Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Newcastle Herald understands that the Australian Rugby League Commission's decision last month to move State of Origin III to the Gold Coast only three days after giving Newcastle the hosting rights was part of the reason behind the push for vaccine passports.

The ARLC's decision came on July 10, after the government said it would not allow the event to be held in front of a crowd amid a worsening Coronavirus outbreak in Sydney.

Making vaccine passports a requirement would not be a blanket rule, but would give Venues NSW an extra layer of COVID-safety measures to put in place in cases where its facilities are at risk of losing events.

The move would require NSW government approval and would not be introduced until 2022.

"Our goal is to get fans back to games," Venues NSW CEO Tony Shepherd said.

"We think it would be safer if people are vaccinated if they come to a stadium.

"Why should people who have been vaccinated be compromised by having to sit next to people who are unvaccinated?

"If you choose not to have the jab, that is your civil right in a free country but the Delta strain is extremely transmissible and we need to do something to reopen our stadiums."

The Newcastle Jets and Newcastle Knights are the two major tenants of McDonald Jones Stadium.

In a statement, the Jets said the A-League club "support[s] the need to get the community vaccinated and therefore reduce the risk of further restrictions".

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