Brunswick Street Oval facts for kids
| Brunswick Street Oval | |
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| Former names | Brunswick Street Oval, Fitzroy Cricket Ground |
|---|---|
| Location | Edinburgh Gardens, Brunswick St, North Fitzroy, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°47′20.54″S 144°58′51.26″E / 37.7890389°S 144.9809056°E |
| Owner | Fitzroy Football Club |
| Capacity | 15 000 (approx.) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1883 |
| Closed | 1966 (for VFL matches) |
| Tenants | |
| Fitzroy Football Club (VFL 1883-1966), Fitzroy (VAFA), Fitzroy Junior Football Club, Edinburgh Cricket Club | |
The WT Peterson Community Oval is a famous sports ground. It's also known as the Brunswick Street Oval or the Fitzroy Cricket Ground. You can find it in Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North, Victoria. This oval has been a home for both cricket and Australian rules football.
The Fitzroy Football Club played their home games here for many years. They were part of the Victorian Football Association from 1883 to 1897. Then, they joined the Victorian Football League (VFL) and played at the oval until 1966. Their last VFL game there was on August 20, 1966. After that, Fitzroy moved to other grounds like Princes Park and the Junction Oval.
The original cricket team, the Fitzroy Cricket Club, also played here. They left in 1986 when they joined with the Doncaster Cricket Club. The oval even hosted one important first-class cricket match in 1925/26. This game was between the Victoria team and the Western Australia team.
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History of Brunswick Street Oval
The Brunswick Street Oval has a long and interesting history. It has been a central place for sports in Melbourne for over a century. Many different teams and sports have used this historic ground.
Football at the Oval
After the VFL era, the oval continued to host Australian rules football. The Fitzroy Rovers football club used it in the late 1970s and 1980s. Later, the University Reds started playing there in 1991.
In 1997, the Fitzroy Football Club merged with the Brisbane Bears. But the Fitzroy members in Victoria still wanted a local team. They started basing themselves at the Brunswick Street Oval. Eventually, they joined with the University Reds. This created the Fitzroy Reds Football Club, which still plays at the oval today. The main grandstand at the oval is very important. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register because of its history.
Soccer Matches at the Oval
The oval wasn't just for football and cricket. It also hosted soccer games. In 1975 and 1976, the soccer club Heidelberg United (then called Fitzroy United Alexander) played there. They even hosted one game in the National Soccer League.
During the 1980s, other smaller soccer clubs used the venue sometimes. Even earlier, in the 1910s and 1920s, the oval held big soccer matches. These included finals for the Dockerty Cup, which is a famous soccer trophy.
Brunswick Street Oval Records
The Brunswick Street Oval has seen many exciting games. Here are some of the records set at this historic ground.
VFA and VFL Game Records
- VFA Games Played: 135 games were played here between 1883 and 1896. Fitzroy played in 122 of these games.
- VFL Games Played: 612 games took place between 1897 and 1966. Fitzroy played in 609 of these VFL matches.
- VFL Finals Games: The oval hosted 4 VFL finals matches.
Attendance Records
- Highest VFA Crowd: The biggest crowd for a VFA game was 22,500 people. This was for a game between Fitzroy and Essendon on September 17, 1892.
- Highest VFL Crowd: The largest crowd for a VFL game was 36,000 people. This happened when Fitzroy played Collingwood on May 6, 1935.
