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Birchgrove Park facts for kids

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Birchgrove Park
Birchgrove Oval.jpg
Birchgrove Park, in 2013
Type Urban park and sports ground
Location The Terrace, Birchgrove, Inner West Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Created 1881 (1881)
Operated by Inner West Council
Status Open all year
Birchgrove Oval
Surface Grass
Tenants
  • Balmain Tigers
    (NSWRL)
    (1908-1929, 1931-1932, 1942)
  • Balmain Tigers FC
    (NSW State League Division 1)

Birchgrove Park is a lovely urban park and sports ground in Birchgrove, Sydney, Australia. It sits right on the beautiful Sydney Harbour waterfront. This park is also home to Birchgrove Oval, a famous sports field. It was once the main base for the Sydney Cricket Club from 1897 to 1947. It's also a very important place for rugby league football, as it was the first home of the Balmain Tigers club.

Discovering Birchgrove Park's Past

How Birchgrove Park Began

Birchgrove Park was created in 1881. It started from a large piece of land owned by Lieutenant John Birch. This land was later divided up and sold. However, not all the land sold as expected. The Bank of New South Wales took over some of the unsold parts. The NSW Government then bought thirty-six of these sections. This led to the creation of the Birchgrove Recreation Ground, which later became Birchgrove Park.

Birchgrove Oval: A Rugby League Landmark

Birchgrove Oval is known as the "spiritual birthplace" of rugby league in Australia. This is because the very first professional rugby league matches were played here in 1908. In 2008, the oval hosted the official launch of the 2008 NRL season. This event celebrated 100 years of the sport in Australia.

Other Sports Played at Birchgrove Park

Besides rugby league, Australian rules football also has a history at Birchgrove Park. Matches for the NSWFA (New South Wales Football Association) were played here from 1903 to 1926. This shows that the park has been a popular spot for different sports over many years.

International Matches at the Oval

Birchgrove Park has even hosted international games. For example, in 1908, a team from Sydney played against the New Zealand Māori rugby league team at the oval. This was an exciting event for local sports fans.

See also

  • List of parks in Sydney
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