Footy grounds around Australia

[jethro11]

My top 3 would be...

The G. Obvious reasons but mainly because we won a flag there.

Vic Park. Just all the old memories and living around Abbotsford I practically grew up there.

Brunswick Street. Just a great ground to go to on a saturday arvo and sit around watching footy or cricket. It's sorta cool to walk the dog around an old VFL ground.

 

[PortBrillance]

Alberton is the greatest. Hands down

 

[tonk]

North Sydney oval, smallish, has some beautiful old grandstands that were moved from the S.C.G. There is a huge Morton Bay fig tree with branches hanging over the picket fence. Used to be a League ground but the Swans have played some pre season games there.

 

[Bombermania]

Glenferrie Road - I have walked around parts of this ground and I find it hard to image how they fitted in large crowds was there a stand or something that has since been removed and how did players running toward the wing not finish up on the footpath especially when you had someone like Leigh Matthews chasing you

 

[Kingpin]

Ah yes, you're right, thanks.

Also, I recall a couple of games at North Hobart Oval, which also had a heritage grandstand. It was one of those postage stamp grounds squeezed in between subsequent developments, like Glenferrie. If you blinked you missed it, but the atmosphere was good. Fitzroy played a couple of games there in the early 90s.

Yes, North Hobart Oval's my favourite ground.
Has a terrific atmosphere with a big crowd in it and is a good viewing ground for spectators.
Unfortunately, the ground has really missed the boat in as far as redevelopments for football is concerned given that the facilities do need modernising, playing surface needs expanding and drainage needs a huge overhaul.
The grandstand you talk about, the Horrie Gorringe Stand was great to watch footy from until they gutted out half of it about twenty years ago and built a social clubroom in the back of it which later got turned into offices for AFL Tasmania, these are all closed off now it looks kinda ugly now.
The ground hosted the TFL Grand Final from 1922-1999, a number of State Grand Finals between 1923-1975, SFL Grand Finals from 2000-2008, three State of Origin games between 1989-1991, both State and Jubilee Shield Intrastate matches on and off from 1922-1998 as well as VFL/AFL matches from 1952-1992 and pre-season VFL/AFL matches during the 1990's and early 2000's.
Unfortunately the ground's days are marked as football venue.
The whole suburb of North Hobart has changed tremendously over the past 20 years from a rather tough and rundown suburb to a very upmarket and trendy area with a LOT of expatriate mainlanders buying up property in the suburb.
The rather disappointing by-product of the change in occupancy in the area is that almost all of them are vocal against any plans to redevelop the ground and seem to want the ground to be closed and removed completely.
A spokesman from the Real Estate Council of Tasmania or something was in the papers headlining calls to bulldoze the entire stadium a few months back, in order to turn it into a retirement village.
Meanwhile, the ground is becoming more and more and shabby and rundown, major games are no longer held there (TSL Grand Finals have been moved to Blundstone Arena at Bellerive and Aurora Stadium at York Park in Launceston and the SFL Grand Final has moved to KGV Park.)
It'll probably end up being demolished but it in its heyday, it was a terrific stadium.
A case of opportunity LOST.

 

[harmesy 37]

Yes, North Hobart Oval's my favourite ground.
Has a terrific atmosphere with a big crowd in it and is a good viewing ground for spectators.
Unfortunately, the ground has really missed the boat in as far as redevelopments for football is concerned given that the facilities do need modernising, playing surface needs expanding and drainage needs a huge overhaul.

Unfortunately the ground's days are marked as football venue.
The whole suburb of North Hobart has changed tremendously over the past 20 years from a rather tough and rundown suburb to a very upmarket and trendy area with a LOT of expatriate mainlanders buying up property in the suburb.
The rather disappointing by-product of the change in occupancy in the area is that almost all of them are vocal against any plans to redevelop the ground and seem to want the ground to be closed and removed completely.
A spokesman from the Real Estate Council of Tasmania or something was in the papers headlining calls to bulldoze the entire stadium a few months back, in order to turn it into a retirement village.
Meanwhile, the ground is becoming more and more and shabby and rundown, major games are no longer held there (TSL Grand Finals have been moved to Blundstone Arena at Bellerive and Aurora Stadium at York Park in Launceston and the SFL Grand Final has moved to KGV Park.)
It'll probably end up being demolished but it in its heyday, it was a terrific stadium.
A case of opportunity LOST.

That is disgraceful if that happens and they demolish a ground with so much history and character. I understand your point of suburbs being "gentrified" and then a large part of that process is destroying the character of the original suburb....and then after that these buffoons wonder why the suburb is soulless without any green space.

I have been to North Hobart's Oval and to me it is the prominent landmark in the suburb at the top of the hill and is a fine ground.


Where do they expect North Hobart to play home matches from in future?
Glenorchy?

By the way...whilst on the original topic:

Another couple of great grounds are
Devonport's ground (Northern Tas)
North Albury's ground (NSW)
Wangaratta (VIC)

 

[madmug]

Yes, North Hobart Oval's my favourite ground.
Has a terrific atmosphere with a big crowd in it and is a good viewing ground for spectators.

They wont demolish NHO. Too much heritage & history value. A great ground for old style footy. Other teams feared to play at headquarters. Remember the greats Like Harry 'the slipper' Dwyer, Stork Courtney, Dessy Graham, John Devine ets. Now they were tough, hit first & ask questions later.
State games were great, like the 1990 SOO against the big V. Even going back to the old Intrastate games. NWFU & the NTFA playing the TFL. Those guys played with passion, the crowds were just as tough.
It is a fantastic viewing ground with its natural amphitheatre. 20,000 plus crowds in the old days, it was like a mini MCG. The 1979 GF between Glenorchy & Clarence had 24,900 squeezed in. It was an amazing sea of faces in such a small venue. You wouldnt be allowed to do it these days.
Hobart council neglect has left it in a sad state. They had a chance to redo the ground back in the 1980's but just didnt care. Modern arena's dont have anywhere near the same atmosphere. TSL GF at Boot Park or Aurora are just dead compared to the same size crowds at HQ.
I feel a bit sad now, I think I might go down to the Wagon & Horses & have beer or three.

 

[Rob]

Not sure why anyone would bring up Fremantle Oval as a great venue. Terrific location, but the ground itself is awful for spectators. Virtually no grass banks, the Victoria Pavilion is miles away from the action (never mind the benches in it are half rotted away) and the facilities are ordinary. Needs a half decent grandstand - even a scaffold one that can seat about 500 would be OK on the outer wing.

Bassendean is the best WAFL ground. Leederville is OK as well.

 

[MaddAdam]

I played much of my juniour footy on the weird oblong ground that is on the corner of Racecourse, Epsom and Ascot Vale Roads in Flemington.

Balls would regularly - at least once a quarter - go over the low fence on one wing and out into fast moving traffic.

 

[Kingpin]

They wont demolish NHO. Too much heritage & history value. A great ground for old style footy. Other teams feared to play at headquarters. Remember the greats Like Harry 'the slipper' Dwyer, Stork Courtney, Dessy Graham, John Devine ets. Now they were tough, hit first & ask questions later.
State games were great, like the 1990 SOO against the big V. Even going back to the old Intrastate games. NWFU & the NTFA playing the TFL. Those guys played with passion, the crowds were just as tough.
It is a fantastic viewing ground with its natural amphitheatre. 20,000 plus crowds in the old days, it was like a mini MCG. The 1979 GF between Glenorchy & Clarence had 24,900 squeezed in. It was an amazing sea of faces in such a small venue. You wouldnt be allowed to do it these days.
Hobart council neglect has left it in a sad state. They had a chance to redo the ground back in the 1980's but just didnt care. Modern arena's dont have anywhere near the same atmosphere. TSL GF at Boot Park or Aurora are just dead compared to the same size crowds at HQ.
I feel a bit sad now, I think I might go down to the Wagon & Horses & have beer or three.

It would be a dreadful shame to see it go. With the rather green politics in this town these days, it might end up being used for something else, I fear.
Another favourite of mine was Queenborough Oval at Sandy Bay, down near Wrest Point Casino.
It was an old and rundown venue but it just had a great footy atmosphere.
It was located in a rich area surrounded by old-style mansions, narrow streets and hills and parking was a nightmare.
You'd generally have to park way up the hill and walk down to the ground, the smell of the turf would waft up the hill in the breeze, you'd look over the hedges as you walked down and you could see the players on the field, the manual scoreboard in the bottom corner changing and you'd be able to hear the crowd cheering inside as a line of cars clogged the street and people in colours all made their way down to the corner gate or along to the gravestone gate.
All the crowd would be hemmed into the terraces at one end, right on top of the play, the bottom (Casino end) was virtually no room at all for spectators and the primitive concrete stand on the wing never had much seating. On a day when a big match was on, the roar and atmosphere was fantastic all shielded in by the massive hedges and the players seemed to be only about three feet away.
Would love to watch a TSL game down the Bay again

 

[Magpie03]

Trumper Park in Sydney is bang in the middle of some of the most blue chip properties in Paddington. It is a beautiful setting and it is great to see those goal posts standing proudly.

Agree mate - shame that the original grandstands arnt their in their orignal form - From a biased point of view, people should get out and have a look at Rosedale Park, behind Warrick Farm race course. Ground has a huge amount of history in Syndey - originally built as an aussie rules ground a very long time ago it now is dual purpuse with cricket. Has had a huge amount of money spent on the playing surface and drainage is is one onf the best playing surfaces you will find in NSW - its also the home of Clarke and Bollinger and the former home of Krejza- From the footy point of view there has been a number of players who have called it home from time to time such as Graham Studley Cornes, Rod Waddel and Glen Coleman.

Unfortunately Rosedale is probably the best and worst kept in Sydney - great ground but no one knows it exists execpt us die hards in the South West.

 

[Mervyn Beasley]

Played at Queenstown in Tasmania about 40 years ago. No grass just stones. Very important not to get tackled.

Visited this ground recently on a bit of a nostalgia tour.
My mother grew up there and father payed there a few times.
I saw a couple of games there as a kid as well.

Its actually more sand than gravel.

I spoke to my uncle who played over 300 games in that league.
He claimed it was the best ground by far because all the others back then were usually about a foot deep of mud.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Glenferrie Road - I have walked around parts of this ground and I find it hard to image how they fitted in large crowds was there a stand or something that has since been removed and how did players running toward the wing not finish up on the footpath especially when you had someone like Leigh Matthews chasing you

Wasn’t called the sardine can for nothing! I think there was one more grandstand and they just squeezed them in all the way around the ground. It’s a lot more open now than it used to be, most of the fencing has been taken down and it’s a public reserve.

There is a good video on Youtube (in colour) of a game against Carlton in the 50s that shows some good shots of a full house crowd.

Nice location, pity it’s not used any more, even by a local club.