List of Australian Football League grounds

      Current Australian Football League grounds

      The Australian Football League has numerous grounds upon which senior VFL/AFL games have been played. This list comprises current grounds in use, former grounds in use (both major and minor), regional pre-season grounds and international grounds.

      In accordance with the Laws of Australian football, a ground must be grassed, have a minimum length of 135 metres (443 ft) and a minimum width of 110 metres (360 ft).[1]

      Most Australian rules football grounds are also used for other sports, most traditionally cricket, which also uses an oval-shaped ground. Sports such as Rugby and soccer, can also be readily played on an Australian rules football arena, as their rectangular fields are typically small enough to be set on the larger oval. Many Australian rules football stadia with larger capacities have been converted and used for events such as the Olympic Games, rock concerts or exhibitions.

      The oldest Australian football league ground is the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The ground, originally only used for cricket, was used to play Australian rules football during the winter months when cricket wasn't possible. The ground was built in 1854 and is still used for hosting AFL matches. The ground also has the largest capacity, at 100,000 after a major refurbishment that took place in 2005, ready for Melbourne's hosting of the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

      The most recent ground to be used for Australian Football League matches is Skoda Stadium in the western suburbs of Sydney. The home ground of the newest AFL expansion club, the GWS Giants, it hosted its first match on the 26th of May 2012, between the GWS Giants and the Essendon Bombers.

      AFL/VFL premiership season venues

      Current grounds

      The following table shows a list of all of the current grounds that are used in the Australian Football League, in order of capacity. The table also includes grounds where teams have commercial deals in place to transfer home games to these grounds each season but are not actual tenants of those grounds.

      The Melbourne Cricket Ground is now the only ground in Australia that has been host to AFL matches since the inauguration of the league back in 1897.

      Current Australian Football League grounds
      Ground Image Other/sponsored names City State/territory Capacity First used Current tenant(s)
      Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground MCG Melbourne Victoria 100,021[2] 1897 Carlton
      Collingwood
      Hawthorn
      Melbourne
      Richmond
      Stadium Australia Stadium Australia Telstra Stadium (2002–2007)
      ANZ Stadium (2008–present)      		 Sydney New South Wales 83,500[3] 2002 Sydney
      Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium Colonial Stadium (2000–02)
      Telstra Dome (2003–08)
      Etihad Stadium (2009–present)      		 Melbourne Victoria 56,347[4] 2000 Carlton
      Essendon
      North Melbourne
      St Kilda
      Western Bulldogs
      Football Park Football Park AAMI Stadium (2003–present) Adelaide South Australia 51,240[5] 1991 Adelaide
      Port Adelaide
      Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground SCG Sydney New South Wales 48,000[6] 1903[7] Sydney
      Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval Patersons Stadium (2011–present) Perth Western Australia 42,922[8] 1987 Fremantle
      West Coast
      Gabba, TheThe Gabba The Gabba Brisbane Cricket Ground Brisbane Queensland 42,000[9] 1991 Brisbane
      Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval Adelaide South Australia 53,500
      restricted to 20,000 due to redevelopment[10]      		 2011[n 1] Port Adelaide
      Westpac Stadium Westpac Stadium Wellington New Zealand 36,000[11] 2013 St Kilda [12][n 2]
      Kardinia Park Kardinia Park Shell Stadium (1999–2001)
      Baytec Stadium (2002 pre-season)
      Skilled Stadium (2002–2011)
      Simonds Stadium (2012–present)      		 Geelong Victoria 33,000[13] 1941 Geelong
      Carrara Stadium Carrara Stadium Metricon Stadium (2011–present) Gold Coast Queensland 40,000 redevelopment for 2018 commonwealth games[14] 1987 Gold Coast
      Sydney Showground Stadium Sydney Showground Stadium Skoda Stadium (2012–present) Sydney New South Wales 25,000 2012 Greater Western Sydney[15]
      York Park York Park Aurora Stadium (2004–present) Launceston Tasmania 20,000[16] 2001 Hawthorn[n 3]
      Bellerive Oval Bellerive Oval Blundstone Arena (2012–present) Hobart Tasmania 20,000 after redevelopment 2012 North Melbourne[17]
      Manuka Oval Manuka Oval Canberra ACT 15,000[18] 1998 Western Bulldogs[n 3]
      Marrara Stadium Marrara Stadium TIO Stadium (2006–present) Darwin Northern Territory 15,000[19] 2004 Melbourne[n 3]
      Port Adelaide[n 3]
      Richmond[n 3]
      Western Bulldogs[n 3]
      Cazaly's Stadium[20][21] Cazaly's Stadium Cairns Queensland 12,000[22] 2011 Richmond[n 3]
      Blacktown International Sportspark Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney New South Wales 10,000 2012 Greater Western Sydney[23]
      1. ^ Adelaide Oval hosted its first AFL match in Round 24 of the 2011 season as a Port Adelaide home game against Melbourne. The ground is scheduled to be redeveloped and host all AFL games involving the Adelaide Crows and Port Power from the 2014 season onwards.
      2. ^ Westpac Stadium will host a match on ANZAC Day 2013 between St Kilda and Sydney, with further matches planned in 2014 and 2015.
      3. ^ a b c d e f g These teams have commercial deals in place to transfer home games to these grounds each season but are not actually tenants of those grounds.

      Former major grounds

      The following table comprises a list of former grounds that were used to play VFL/AFL matches on.

      Most of the grounds were the original home of current teams (for example, Arden Street Oval was North Melbourne's home ground) and have ceased playing VFL/AFL matches, usually due to location and lack of capacity. These grounds now serve as a boutique training oval and administrative base for these AFL clubs.

      Some of the former grounds were also used as clubs were forced relocate during World War II whilst their home ground was being used for military purposes.

      Waverley Park, located in Mulgrave, Victoria was the first purpose-built stadium for VFL/AFL matches, opening in 1970. Original plans called for the grounds capacity to be 155,000, making it one of the largest stadiums in the world. The full plans were never built, however due to objections from the MCG trust, and Waverley's capacity was set at 78,000, although this was broken on a number of occasions including the Queens Birthday Holiday in 1981, when a ground record 92,935 fans attended a match between Hawthorn and Collingwood.

      Waverley, with its planned higher capacity, was originally to be a replacement for the Melbourne Cricket Ground as host of the VFL's Grand Final. However, in 1982/1983, when the extensions to finish the original plans were due to commence, the Government of Victoria refused to approve the plans for the stadium because the upgrade would have threatened the Melbourne Cricket Ground's right to host the Grand Final. Hence, no further development ever occurred and the capacity was set at 78,000.

      By the end of the grounds life as a major venue, its capacity had fallen to 72,000 due to various upgrades such as eliminating standing room areas, and a number of major drawbacks became apparent:

      • Since the ground was situated outside Melbourne, it lacked the appropriate public transport infrastructure.
      • With the ground's ever growing capacity, the number of parking spaces became an issue.
      • Inadequate public and corporate facilities (undercover seating, toilets, catering facilities).
      • Since the ground was unusually larger than most AFL/VFL grounds at the time, the public felt they were too far away from the game.

      After the AFL sold the ground to Mirvac in 2001, the ground is now used as the administrative home of the Hawthorn Football Club.

      Princes Park (now known as Visy Park) was the last of the older venues to see an AFL game, with the last match occurring in 2005. The ground had been home to the Carlton Football Club since its inauguration in 1897 and various other teams throughout its time as an AFL ground. It was the AFL's decision to close the stadium after it felt it couldn't cope with modern day crowds, but the ground is still used for VFL and TAC Cup matches, and it is the administrative home to the Carlton Football Club.

      Ground City State Capacity Year First Used Year Last Used Tenants
      Arden Street Oval North Melbourne Victoria 15,000[24] 1925 1985 North Melbourne
      Brunswick Street Oval North Fitzroy Victoria 15,000[25] 1897 1966 Fitzroy (defunct)
      Corio Oval Geelong Victoria  ? 1897 1940 Geelong
      East Melbourne Cricket Ground East Melbourne Victoria 10,000 1897 1921 Essendon: 1897 - 1915, 1918 - 1921
      University (defunct): 1908 - 1910
      Glenferrie Oval Hawthorn Victoria 10,000[26] 1925 1973 Hawthorn
      Junction Oval St Kilda Victoria 8,000[27] 1897 1984 St Kilda: 1897 - 1915, 1918–1941, 1944 - 1964
      Fitzroy (defunct): 1970 - 1984
      Lake Oval Albert Park Victoria 14,000[28] 1897 1981 South Melbourne (now Sydney)
      Moorabbin Oval Moorabbin Victoria 27,000[29] 1965 1992 St Kilda
      Princes Park Carlton Victoria 35,000[30] 1897 2005 Carlton: 1897 - 2005
      Fitzroy (defunct): 1967 - 1969, 1987 - 1993
      Hawthorn: 1974 - 1991
      South Melbourne (now Sydney): 1942 - 1943
      Western Bulldogs: 1997 - 1999
      Punt Road Oval Richmond Victoria 15,000[31] 1908 1964 Melbourne: 1942 - 1946, 1956
      Richmond: 1908 - 1964
      Toorak Park Prahran Victoria 15,000[32] 1942 1946 St Kilda: 1942 - 1943
      South Melbourne (now Sydney): 1944 - 1946
      Victoria Park Abbotsford Victoria 27,000[33] 1897 1999 Collingwood: 1897 - 1999
      Fitzroy (defunct): 1985 - 1986
      WACA Ground Perth Western Australia 35,000[34] 1987 2000 West Coast: 1987 - 2000
      Fremantle: 1995 - 2000
      Waverley Park Mulgrave Victoria 72,000[35] 1970 1999 Hawthorn - 1992 - 1999
      St Kilda:1993 - 1999
      Every team between 1970–91
      Western Oval West Footscray Victoria 25,000[36] 1925 1997 Fitzroy (defunct): 1994 - 1996
      Footscray: 1925, 1941, 1943–1997
      Windy Hill Essendon Victoria 15,000[37] 1922 1991 Essendon

      Former minor grounds

      Minor grounds have been used in the VFL/AFL, but only sparingly. One of the main reasons that minor grounds have been used in VFL/AFL was to spread the game to other parts of the country. A great example of this is Round 8, 1952, where all games for that round were played at minor grounds throughout Australia. Other minor grounds have been used as an "experimentation", where the club tests out the ground for future basing there, as did North Melbourne in 1965 due to a dispute with the local council.

      Minor grounds were also used throughout World War II, as some of the larger grounds throughout Victoria were being occupied by servicemen, such as Footscray in 1942.

      Ground City State Capacity Times Used Year Last Used Match Played
      Albury Oval Albury New South Wales 25,000[38] 1 1952 South Melbourne (now Sydney) vs. North Melbourne: Round 8, 1952
      Brisbane Exhibition Ground Bowen Hills Queensland 25,490[39] 1 1952 Essendon vs. Geelong: Round 8, 1952
      Bruce Stadium Canberra Australian Capital Territory 25,000[40] 1 1995 Fitzroy (defunct) vs. West Coast: Round 9, 1995
      Coburg City Oval Coburg Victoria 25,000[41] 9 1965 North Melbourne home games for the 1965 VFL season.
      Euroa Oval Euroa, Victoria Victoria 7,500[42] 1 1952 Carlton vs. Hawthorn: Round 8, 1952
      North Hobart Oval Hobart Tasmania 18,000[43] 5 1992 Fitzroy (defunct) vs. Melbourne: Round 8, 1952
      Fitzroy (defunct): two home games in each of 1991 and 1992
      Motordrome Melbourne Victoria 30 000 3 1932 Melbourne: three home games in early 1932 when MCG was being resurfaced.
      Yarraville Oval Yarraville Victoria 10,000 7 1942 Footscray home games for the 1942 VFL season.
      Yallourn Oval Yallourn Victoria 3,500[44] 1 1952 St Kilda vs. Footscray: Round 8, 1952
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      Pre-season venues

      Further information: Australian Football League pre-season competition

      The following list, is a list of the venues that have been used in AFL Pre-season competition.

      Many of the grounds were used in the Regional Challenge stage of the AFL Pre-season competition, NAB Cup, which was used to bring AFL games to regional centres of South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and Victoria.

      Ground City State Capacity Pre-season series
      Narrandera Sports Ground Narrandera New South Wales — 2007, 2008
      Noarlunga Oval Port Noarlunga South Australia 12,000[45] 2008
      Collingwood Park Albany Western Australia — 2008
      Deakin Reserve Shepparton Victoria — 2004, 2008
      Casey Fields Cranbourne Victoria 4,000 2008
      Blue Lake Sports Park Mount Gambier South Australia — 2007
      Quandong Park Red Cliffs Victoria — 2006, 2007
      Queen Elizabeth Oval Bendigo Victoria 18,000[46] 2005, 2006, 2008
      Falcons Park Morwell Victoria 12,000[47] 2005
      Traeger Park Alice Springs Northern Territory 10,000[48] 2004, 2007, 2008
      Arena Joondalup Joondalup Western Australia 16,000[49] 2005
      Fremantle Oval Fremantle Western Australia 17,500[50] 2006
      Rushton Park Mandurah Western Australia 10,000[51] 2005
      Medibank Private Stadium Leederville Western Australia 18,000[52] 2006
      Lavington Sports Ground Albury New South Wales 25,000[38] 2005, 2006
      Newcastle Number 1 Sports Ground Newcastle New South Wales 20,000[53] 2004
      North Sydney Oval North Sydney New South Wales 20,000[54] 2004
      Giffin Park Coorparoo Queensland — 2004
      Coffs Harbour International Stadium Coffs Harbour New South Wales 20,000[55] 2003
      Nuriootpa Oval Nuriootpa South Australia — 2003
      Beachlands Oval Geraldton Western Australia — 2003
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      International exhibition / pre-season venues

      Further information: Australian Football Exhibition Match

      The following is a list of all of the international venues where a game of AFL has been played (in order of year last used), whether it be for a pre-season competition match or for an exhibition match (however not including premiership season matches).

      The first international AFL exhibition match was in London, England, in 1916. A team of Australian soldiers stationed in England at the time formed a team to play against a "training group". The game brought a crowd of 3,000 people that even included the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and King Manuel II of Portugal.

      The more recent AFL international matches have been part of the pre-season competition format and been highly successful. Countries that have hosted such matches include: United Arab Emirates, South Africa and United Kingdom. There are also plans to expand the game further into countries such as India[56] and Japan.[57]

      Name of Ground City Country Match Played Date Attendance
      Ghantoot Polo and Racing Club Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Collingwood vs. Adelaide 9 February 2008 6,102 [58]
      SuperSport Park Centurion South Africa Carlton vs. Fremantle 2 February 2008 3,500[59] - 5,222[60]
      (reports vary)
      The Oval London United Kingdom Various matches
      Intramural Field at UCLA Los Angeles United States Sydney vs. North Melbourne 15 January 2006 3,200[61]
      Westpac Stadium Wellington New Zealand Brisbane vs. Adelaide 17 February 2001 7,500
      Western Bulldogs vs. Hawthorn 29 January 2000 11,666
      Newlands Cricket Ground Cape Town South Africa Brisbane vs. Fremantle 22 February 1998 10,123
      Basin Reserve Wellington New Zealand Sydney vs. Melbourne 3 January 1998 7,820
      Auckland New Zealand St Kilda vs. Geelong 5 October 1991 8,500
      Civic Stadium Portland, Oregon United States Melbourne vs. West Coast 12 October 1990 14,787
      Joe Robbie Stadium Miami United States Essendon vs. Hawthorn 14 October 1989 10,069
      Collingwood vs. Geelong 8 October 1988 7,500
      SkyDome Toronto Canada Melbourne vs. Geelong 12 October 1989 24,639
      Varsity Stadium Toronto Canada Collingwood vs. Hawthorn 16 October 1988 18,500
      Yokohama Stadium Yokohama Japan Carlton vs. Hawthorn 3 November 1987 13,000
      Essendon vs. Hawthorn 25 October 1987 25,000
      BC Place Vancouver Canada Melbourne vs. North Melbourne 18 October 1987 7,980
      Melbourne vs. Sydney 9 October 1987 32,789
      Athens Greece Carlton vs. Orlando All Stars  ?, 1972  ?
      Singapore Singapore Carlton vs. Orlando All Stars  ?, 1972  ?
      Crystal Palace National Sports Centre London England Australia vs. Britain  ?, 1967  ?
      Big Rec Stadium Los Angeles United States Geelong vs. Melbourne 26 October 1963 3,500
      Honolulu United States Geelong vs. Melbourne 20 October 1963 1,500
      Queen's Club London England Australian Division vs. Training Groups 28 October 1916 3,000[62]
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      See also

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      References

      1. ^ "Laws of Australian Football"
      2. ^ "Melbourne Cricket Ground". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      3. ^ "ANZ Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      4. ^ "Etihad Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      5. ^ "AAMI Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      6. ^ "Sydney Cricket Ground". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      7. ^ All venues - AFLTables. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
      8. ^ "Subiaco Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      9. ^ "Gabba". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      10. ^ "Adelaide Oval". Austadiums. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
      11. ^ "Westpac Stadium". Austadiums. Retrieved 12 September 2012. 
      12. ^ Lienert, Sam (12 September 2012). "NZ just step one for expansion-keen AFL". Retrieved 12 September 2012. 
      13. ^ "Skilled Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      14. ^ "Carrara Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      15. ^ "2012 AFL Fixture". AFL. Retrieved 6 November 2011. 
      16. ^ "Aurora Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      17. ^ "2012 AFL Fixture". AFL. Retrieved 6 November 2011. 
      18. ^ "Manuka Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      19. ^ "Marrara Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      20. ^ AFL's Tigers to take on Suns in 2011 ABC Far North Qld. 19 September 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
      21. ^ Tigers set to play a home game in Cairns The Age. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
      22. ^ "Cazaly's Stadium". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
      23. ^ "2012 AFL Fixture". AFL. Retrieved 6 November 2011. 
      24. ^ "Arden Street Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      25. ^ "Brunswick Street Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      26. ^ "Glenferrie Street Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      27. ^ "Junction Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      28. ^ "Bob Jane Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      29. ^ "Moorabbin Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      30. ^ "Princes Park". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      31. ^ "Punt Road Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      32. ^ "Toorak Park". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      33. ^ "Victoria Park". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      34. ^ "WACA Ground". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      35. ^ "Waverley Park". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      36. ^ "Whitten Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      37. ^ "Windy Hill". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      38. ^ a b "Lavington Sports Ground". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      39. ^ "Brisbane Exhibition Ground". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      40. ^ "Canberra Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      41. ^ "Coburg City Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      42. ^ "Match Stats - Carlton v Hawthorn, 14-Jun-1952". AFL Tables. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      43. ^ "North Hobart Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      44. ^ "Match Details - Footscray v St Kilda - 14-Jun-1952". AFL Tables. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      45. ^ "Noarlunga Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      46. ^ "Queen Elizabeth Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      47. ^ "LaTrobe City Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      48. ^ "Traeger Park". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      49. ^ "Arena Joondalup". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      50. ^ "Fremantle Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      51. ^ "Rushton Park". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      52. ^ "Medibank Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      53. ^ "Newcastle No. 1 Sports Ground". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      54. ^ "North Sydney Oval". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      55. ^ "Coffs Harbour International Stadium". Australian Stadiums. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      56. ^ "India mooted as new NAB Cup venue". Herald Sun. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      57. ^ Stephen Rielly (14 February 2006). "The Japanese Expansion". Melbourne: Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      58. ^ Damian Barrett (24 January 2008). "Footy facelift for polo complex". Herald Sun. 
      59. ^ Herald Sun 
      60. ^ "Dockers down Blues in Pretoria". World Footy News. Retrieved 20 October 2008. 
      61. ^ "Kangaroos Dominate Swans". AFANA Footy News. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2008. 
      62. ^ Anon, 30 October 1916.
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      External links

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      Last modified on 15 June 2013, at 17:43