Victoria Park, Melbourne facts for kids
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Old Girl, VP, Vic Park
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Victoria Park in 2007
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| Former names | Dight's Paddock Jock McHale Stadium |
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| Location | Abbotsford, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°47′54″S 144°59′47″E / 37.79833°S 144.99639°E |
| Owner | City of Yarra |
| Operator | City of Yarra |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1879 |
| Construction cost | £600 |
| Architect | William Pitt |
| Tenants | |
| VFL/AFL (1892–1999) VFL (2010–present) VFLW (2018–present) AFLW (2019–present) Fitzroy Football Club (VFL) (1985–1986) Fitzroy Stars (NFL) (2010–2012) Collingwood Warriors (NSL) (1996–1997) |
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Victoria Park is a famous sports ground in Abbotsford, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It's shaped like an oval and was built for Australian rules football and cricket games. In the past, it also had a cycling track, tennis courts, and even a baseball club!
Victoria Park is very important in Australian sports history. It was a main ground for the Victorian Football League (now called the AFL) from 1892 to 1999. It was also the home base for the Collingwood Football Club for 107 years until 2005. The Fitzroy Football Club also played some games here in the mid-1980s. This ground is so special that it's listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
At its busiest, from 1959 to the late 1980s, Victoria Park was one of the biggest VFL stadiums. Only the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Princes Park were larger. However, in the 1990s, the AFL wanted clubs to play at bigger, more modern stadiums. So, Collingwood played its last AFL game at Victoria Park in 1999. Even after that, Collingwood used it for training until 2005. Today, Collingwood's reserve and women's teams still play many of their home games at Victoria Park.
Contents
Victoria Park: A Historic Sports Ground
Early Days: Dight's Paddock
Victoria Park started in 1879. It was built on land known as "Dight's Paddock." This land was used for grazing cattle since 1838. In 1878, Fred Brown bought the land. Later, in 1882, the land was given to the people of Collingwood. It was meant for their "resort and recreation." Soon, a cricket pitch and a cycling track were added. Local cricket and junior football clubs began using the ground.
Home of the Magpies
The Collingwood Football Club played its first game at Victoria Park in 1892. About 16,000 fans watched the game! Even though Collingwood lost, it showed how popular the club and the ground would become.
The first big stand was finished in 1892. Soon, the club needed more space for its huge number of fans. In 1900, the Ladies Stand was built. In 1909, the Member's Stand was added. The Ladies Stand was later replaced by the Jack Ryder Stand in 1929. This new stand offered modern facilities for players and could seat about 3,000 fans.
By the end of 1929, Collingwood had won three football championships in a row. They seemed unbeatable at Victoria Park! Other teams were scared to play there. This was a tough time for many people because of the Great Depression. For many, seeing the Magpies win was a great escape from daily struggles. The club even let unemployed workers watch games for free.
Victoria Park's record crowd was in April 1948. A massive 47,000 people watched Collingwood beat South Melbourne.
Ground Improvements
After Collingwood won another championship in 1953, they wanted to improve the ground. The club worked hard to get a long-term lease. This would allow them to make big upgrades. Finally, in 1956, the club gained control of the ground until 1996.
The first new building was the social club. It opened in 1959 and is now called the Bob Rose Stand. Next, the R.T. Rush Stand was built in 1965. It had a special roof that didn't block views. This was new for a local ground. The old Member's Stand was replaced by the Sherrin Stand in 1969. The final part of the Sherrin Stand was finished in 1978.
Work continued to update the ground until the late 1980s. The club wanted to add more covered seating. However, local residents didn't like the new plans. After a local election, the new council stopped the club from continuing the work.
Winding Down Games
In the late 1980s, Collingwood started playing some games at other stadiums. They played at VFL Park and the MCG. This was good for the club's money. These bigger stadiums had lights, so games could be played at night. This meant more people could watch on TV and more fans could attend.
By 1994, Collingwood played most of its games at the MCG. In 1998 and 1999, only two games a year were played at Victoria Park. The cricket club also moved away in 1996 after 100 years. The very last AFL game at Victoria Park was in 1999. Collingwood lost their final game there. The ground's capacity was about 24,000 people when it closed for AFL games.
Recent Use and Upgrades
After moving to the MCG, Collingwood saw more fans at their games. Victoria Park is still seen as the club's "spiritual home." Collingwood used it for training before the 2002 and 2003 AFL Grand Finals. In 2004, the club moved its main training facilities to a new center.
For a while, there were plans to knock down parts of the ground. But Victoria Park is protected because of its history. So, the oval itself will stay, even if some stands change.
In 2009, the City of Yarra council allowed Collingwood's VFL team to play games at Victoria Park again. By 2019, Collingwood's women's teams also started playing most of their home games there. This means Victoria Park is still used a lot by the club.
Redevelopment for the Community
In 2010, the Yarra City Council announced a big upgrade for Victoria Park. They spent $7.2 million to make it a major community space. The AFL, Collingwood Football Club, and the Australian government helped pay for it.
The upgrade included:
- Creating two public areas with trees, seating, and barbecues.
- Fixing up the outside of the Sherrin, Ryder, and Bob Rose stands.
- Removing part of the red brick wall along Lulie Street.
- Building a new ticket box that looks like the old one.
- Adding public artworks to celebrate the park's history.
- Installing a ramp for people with disabilities at the Ryder stand.
- Building a walking path around the oval and replacing the fence.
The work was finished in 2011, and the new-look ground opened to the community.
Upgrades for Women's Football
In May 2020, another $2 million upgrade began. This was to improve facilities for female footballers. The Sherrin Stand was updated. New changing rooms and recovery areas were built for the women's teams. This allows the women's teams to be based at Victoria Park. These upgrades were ready for the 2021 season.
Ground Structure
Victoria Park's inside is shaped like an oval, almost a circle. This fits the playing field. There were no big display screens during its main use. However, a screen was set up with a crane for the very last game.
The ground has several main stands:
- Bob Rose Stand: Opened in 1959. This was Collingwood's social club and office until 2004. Most fans stood on concrete, but there were some seats inside.
- R.T. Rush Stand: Finished in 1965. This stand had a special roof that didn't block views. It covered the entire southern side of the oval. This stand was taken down in 2011.
- Sherrin Stand: This area was mostly for Collingwood's cheer squad and members. It's behind one of the goals. It has some covered seating, but most seats were removed in 2008.
- Ryder Stand: Completed in 1929. This stand was built by workers during the Great Depression. It has wooden seats and some corporate boxes. It is fully covered and was restored recently.
The eastern end of the ground had no stand, just grass and a scoreboard. This area was for standing fans. Victoria Park did not have lights for night games. Some smaller lights were added for darker daytime games. Fans entered the ground through turnstiles.
The ground can hold about 15,000 people today. The record crowd was 47,224 in 1948.
Getting There
Victoria Park is about 4 kilometers northeast of Melbourne's city center. There used to be limited parking on game days, but that's no longer available. The ground has its own train station about 200 meters away. This station is on the Hurstbridge and Mernda train lines.
