Belmore Sports Ground facts for kids
|
Belmore
|
|
 |
|
| Former names | Belmore Oval |
|---|---|
| Location | Belmore, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°55′0″S 151°5′41″E / 33.91667°S 151.09472°E |
| Capacity | 17,000 |
| Record attendance | 27,804 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1920 |
| Tenants | |
| Sydney Olympic (NPL NSW) (1996–2001, 2004–present) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (NSWRL/ARL/NRL) (SL) (1935–1994, 1996–1998, 2015–present) |
|
Belmore Sports Ground, also known as Belmore Oval, is a famous sports stadium in Belmore, New South Wales, Australia. It's a place where different sports are played, especially soccer and rugby league.
The park covers about 22 acres of land. It has been home to the Belmore Bowling Recreation Club green since 1951. The stadium is also very close to Belmore railway station, making it easy for fans to visit.
This stadium can hold up to 19,000 people. It was first built in 1920. The main grandstand alone can seat 10,000 fans. The biggest crowd ever at Belmore was 27,804 people. This happened on April 12, 1993, when the Canterbury Bulldogs played against the Parramatta Eels.
Today, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs rugby league team and the Sydney Olympic FC soccer team both use Belmore Sports Ground as their home field.
Contents
History of Belmore Sports Ground
In 1920, the local council decided to buy land for parks in the Belmore area. This park was named Belmore Park after the suburb it was in. The land was bought in three parts between 1918 and 1921. Before it became a park, it was known as Gunn's Paddock.
In 1936, the council bought a large grandstand from the Sydney Cricket Ground. They rebuilt it at Belmore Park to help create jobs during a tough time. This new grandstand was opened on March 14, 1936, by Mayor S.E. Parry. It was named after him. Around 1967, other sports moved to different grounds. This made rugby league the main sport played at Belmore Sports Ground.
What Sports Are Played Here?
Soccer Matches
Belmore Sports Ground is a very important place for soccer. It is the home ground for the Sydney Olympic FC team. This team used to play in Australia's top soccer league, the National Soccer League. Now, they play in the New South Wales Premier League.
Sydney Olympic played at Belmore from 1977 to 2001. They then moved to another stadium. But after the National Soccer League ended in 2004, they came back to Belmore. They have been playing there ever since.
In 2021, a big Australia Cup game was held here. Sydney Olympic played against A-League team Sydney FC. Sydney FC won that exciting match 4–2.
Rugby League Games
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs NRL team has a long history at Belmore Sports Ground. They played their home games here from 1936 until 1998. After that, the club moved to bigger, more modern stadiums like Stadium Australia.
Even when they moved their games, the Bulldogs still used Belmore for training and their offices. In 2008, they moved these too, but later decided to come back. The club redeveloped the facilities at Belmore. They moved their training and offices back to the ground. Since 2011, the Bulldogs' junior teams also play most of their home games at Belmore.
The hill on the eastern side of the ground is named after a famous Canterbury player, Terry Lamb.
Other teams have also used Belmore temporarily. The Parramatta Eels played here from 1982 to 1985. This was while their own stadium was being built. The St. George Dragons also used the ground for one season in 1988.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs started playing NRL games at Belmore again in 2015. This was part of their 80th-anniversary celebrations. They played against teams like Melbourne and Cronulla. In 2016, they played the premiers, North Queensland Cowboys, and the Canberra Raiders at Belmore. The game against the Cowboys was special because their co-captain, Johnathan Thurston, started his career with the Bulldogs in 2002.
In 2016, Belmore Sports Ground also hosted an international rugby league match. The Cook Islands played against the Lebanon. By the end of 2016, Belmore had hosted 661 first-grade rugby league games. Only a few other stadiums have hosted more.
More recently, in 2023, Belmore Sports Ground hosted its first NRLW matches. Teams like the Newcastle Knights Women and Wests Tigers Women played exciting games here.
Special Rugby League Events
Belmore Sports Ground has hosted many important rugby league matches over the years. These include pre-season trial games, regular NRL season games, and even some international World Club Championship matches. These games bring many fans to the stadium to cheer on their favorite teams.
Ground Record
The biggest crowd ever at Belmore Sports Ground was 27,804 people. This record was set on April 12, 1993. On that day, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs beat the Parramatta Eels with a score of 42–6.
