Erskineville Oval facts for kids
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| Location | 149 Mitchell Road, Erskineville |
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| Owner | City of Sydney |
| Operator | City of Sydney |
| Capacity | 5000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1885 |
| Opened | 1885 |
| Renovated | 1937, 2006 |
| Tenants | |
| Newtown (NSWRL) (1913–1954) Alexandria Rovers |
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Erskineville Oval is a sports field in Erskineville, Sydney, Australia. It first opened in 1885 and was called Macdonaldtown Park. In 1892, its name changed to Erskineville Oval. This happened when the local area's name also changed.
The oval can hold about 5,000 people. It used to be a place for Australian Rules Football (AFL) games starting in 1903. From 1913, it also became a rugby venue. Famous rugby teams like the Newtown Jets and the South Sydney Rabbitohs have played or trained here.
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History of Erskineville Oval
The land where Erskineville Oval now stands was first given to people like Nicholas Devine in 1794. But for many years, nothing was built there because of legal problems.
On July 28, 1885, 22 acres of land were officially named Macdonaldtown Park. This name stayed until 1892. Then, it was renamed Erskineville Oval. This change happened when the local government area of Erskineville also changed its name.
The oval has been updated twice, in 1937 and again in 2006. In 1937, houses were built on and around the oval. This changed the shape of the oval and created the nearby Harry Nobel Reserve. Over the years, Erskineville Oval has hosted many sports. These include Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, and local games of AFL, rugby, and cricket.
Sports Played at Erskineville Oval
After it was built in 1885, Erskineville Oval became an important sports ground. It was used for Australian Rules Football after the NSW Australian Football League started in 1903. Later, it was also used for rugby league, baseball, and even boxing training.
Australian Rules Football at Erskineville Oval
Erskineville Oval was first used for sports when the local New South Wales Football League began in 1903. The Newtown team played their home games here. One of the first matches was between East Sydney Football Club and Alexandria Football Club.
After 1907, the oval was used less for Australian Rules Football. This was because rugby league games also started to be played there. In 1909, a big game between Geelong Football Club and Collingwood Football Club from the Victorian Football League was played here. Many people came to watch.
Local Australian Rules Football teams kept using the oval in the 1910s and 1920s. It was one of only two main grounds available for their games. Premiership final games were held here in 1910, 1914, and 1919.
The original Newtown Football Club stopped playing in 1987. A new junior club, called Newtown, started in 1999. This new club uses Alan Davidson Oval in Sydney Park as its home.
Erskineville Oval was also a training place for AFL umpires. They shared the ground with the Newtown team for their training.
Rugby League at Erskineville Oval
Rugby league games started to be played at Erskineville Oval in 1906. First, there were second-grade matches, then first-grade matches from 1907.
The Newtown club, which started in 1908, used Erskineville Oval as their home ground from 1913 to 1954. They then moved to their current home ground, Henson Park. While playing at Erskineville Oval, the Newtown club won two championships in the NSW Rugby Football League. These wins were in 1933 and 1943. However, both championship games were played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This was because Erskineville Oval was sometimes too hard to play on. It also did not have enough facilities for the team and their fans.
The club moved permanently to Henson Park in 1954. Erskineville Oval could no longer provide enough space for the large crowds. The very last first-grade rugby league game at the oval was on March 26, 1954. Newtown played against Canterbury-Bankstown and won 16–13.
Today, the oval is a home ground for Souths Juniors and The Alexandria Rovers. These teams play in the Sydney Combined Competition.
More recently, the South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club used it as a temporary training ground. This happened from 2006 until their permanent home at Redfern Oval was finished in 2008. The oval was improved to allow the Rabbitohs to train there.
Baseball at Erskineville Oval
From 1932, Erskineville Oval was the main baseball ground in Sydney. Baseball games were played there during the summer.
Boxing Training at Erskineville Oval
Erskineville Oval is a regular training spot for many boxers. They train under the famous coach Johnny Lewis. Johnny Lewis was put into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017. Since the 1960s, Lewis has trained Australian boxers on the grandstand steps at Erskineville Oval. Boxers like Jeff Fenech, Jeff Harding, and Kostya Tszyu trained here early in the morning. All of them became world boxing champions.
Upgrades and Changes to Erskineville Oval
Erskineville Oval has had two major upgrades. The first was in 1937, as part of a housing plan by the NSW Government. The second was in 2006. This was done to get the oval ready for the South Sydney Rabbitohs to use it temporarily.
2006 Facility Upgrades
In 2006, Erskineville Oval got new upgrades. These were to prepare it for the South Sydney Rabbitohs to use as a training ground. The City of Sydney Council and the South Sydney rugby club worked together on these changes. The council spent $300,000 on the upgrades. This was part of a bigger $100 million plan to improve green spaces in the city.
The upgrades included improving the grass field and adding a fence around the oval. The number of seats was also increased and made better. New paths were added for people to walk onto the oval from Ashmore Street. The training lights were improved, and new public toilets were built for players and fans.
Protecting Erskineville Oval's History
The Erskineville Estate Heritage Conservation Area is a special protected area. It includes Erskineville Oval, Harry Nobel Reserve, and the Erskineville Housing Scheme. This area is important because of the housing plan from 1937. Architects William Richardson and Morton Herman designed the buildings. Their work is now seen as historical. It shows how people thought about social issues and city planning in the past. Because of this, Erskineville Oval and the areas around it are protected as a heritage site.
The Lady Gowrie child care center is also part of this protected area. It was finished in 1940 after the oval's renovation. It was designed by famous architects like Joseph Fowell. This child care center is one of several built across Australia in the 1930s. It is protected because of its importance to Australian history. It also shows how children's education and care were approached in the 1930s.
Harry Nobel Reserve
Harry Nobel Reserve used to be part of Erskineville Oval before 1937. That year, a housing plan changed the area. In 1938, the area officially reopened as two separate parks. Fox Avenue now split them. The main part near Mitchell Road stayed Erskineville Oval. But the park next to Elliott Avenue was named Harry Nobel Reserve in 1960. This was to honor Harry Nobel, a local politician who died in 1949.
Fun Events and Stories
Macdonaldtown Park 50 Yard Race
In January 1902, a funny race happened at Macdonaldtown Park. It was a 50-yard running race. It started after an argument between some men. Many local people came to watch. To join the race, each person had to weigh more than 106 kilograms (17 stone). Five people competed. The winner received a medal and a ham from the local butcher. The others got small prizes.
Dying Cow Stops Game
In 1905, a cricket game was stopped in a very unusual way. A third-grade match was being played when a cow wandered onto the field. The cow then lay down and died right on the cricket pitch! The game had to be stopped. The result of the match was decided later. It was not unusual to see cows back then. Farmers in Macdonaldtown owned more than 100 cows.
The Stolen Ground
Before they moved in 1954, the Newtown Jets rugby team played at Erskineville Oval. In 1950, something strange happened. Parts of the oval's grass surface were mysteriously cut out and taken away. Later, it was found out that a local schoolboy named Warren Allen was doing it. Every day after school, he would take a square of turf from the oval. He carried it to an unused tennis court near his home. There, he replanted and watered the grass. He was slowly building his own backyard football field for him and his friends to use!
