Belmore Sports Ground facts for kids
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Belmore
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| Former names | Belmore Oval |
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| 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) |
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Belmore Sports Ground is a famous stadium in Belmore, New South Wales, Australia. It used to be called Belmore Oval. This stadium is used for many different sports. The whole park covers about 22 acres (89,000 square metres). It is also home to the Belmore Bowling Recreation Club. The stadium is very close to the Belmore railway station.
The stadium was built in 1920. It can hold up to 19,000 people. 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. On that day, the Canterbury Bulldogs beat the Parramatta Eels 42–6. Today, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Olympic FC football club both use the ground as their home.
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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 is in. The land was bought in three parts between 1918 and 1921. It was once known as Gunn's Paddock.
The park officially opened in the early 1920s. In 1936, a large grandstand was moved from the Sydney Cricket Ground to Belmore Park. This was part of a project to help people find work during tough times. The Mayor, SE Parry, opened this stand on March 14, 1936, and it was named after him. Around 1967, other sports moved to different grounds. This made rugby league the main sport played at Belmore.
How Belmore Sports Ground is Used
Soccer Matches at Belmore
The stadium is currently used a lot for soccer. It is the home ground for the Sydney Olympic FC team. This team now plays in the New South Wales Premier League.
Sydney Olympic played at Belmore from 1977 to 2001 in the National Soccer League. They then moved to Endeavour Field. But when that league ended in 2004, they came back to Belmore. They have been playing there ever since.
In 2021, Belmore Sports Ground hosted an Australia Cup game. Sydney Olympic played against A-League team Sydney FC. Sydney FC won the game 4–2.
Rugby League Games at Belmore
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs NRL team played their home games at Belmore Sports Ground for many years. They played there from 1936 until 1998. After that, the club moved to bigger, more modern stadiums. Their current home stadium is Accor Stadium.
Even after moving their games, the Bulldogs still used Belmore for training and office work. They moved these activities away in 2008. But later, the club decided to improve the facilities at Belmore. They moved their offices and training back to the ground. Since 2011, the Bulldogs' junior teams also play most of their home games at Belmore.
The grassy hill on the eastern side of the ground is named after Terry Lamb. He is a famous player for the Canterbury Bulldogs.
From 1982 to 1985, the Parramatta Eels team used Belmore as their temporary home. This was while their own stadium was being built. The St. George Dragons also used the ground for one season in 1988. This was when their home ground was being updated.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs started playing NRL games at Belmore again in 2015. They played two home games there as part of their 80th anniversary. They played against Melbourne and Cronulla. In 2016, they played against the North Queensland Cowboys and Canberra Raiders at Belmore. The game against the Cowboys was special. Their co-captain, Johnathan Thurston, had 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 Lebanon.
By the end of the 2016 NRL season, Belmore Sports Ground had hosted 661 top-level rugby league games. Only a few other stadiums have hosted more games.
In 2023, Belmore Sports Ground hosted its first NRLW matches. The Newcastle Knights played the North Queensland Cowboys. After that, the Wests Tigers played the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
Belmore Sports Ground Record
The biggest crowd ever at Belmore Sports Ground was 27,804 people. This record was set on April 12, 1993. It was during Round 5 of the 1993 NSWRL season. On that day, the Canterbury-Bankstown team beat the Parramatta team with a score of 42–6.
Images for kids
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The main grandstand at Belmore Sports Ground.
