Footy grounds around Australia

[Stats Man]

i thought this could be a good thread to talk about your favourite footy grounds around the country and especially in your local area.

its a bit sad the way a lot of grounds are being changed and re-modellled. i am talking about the old Vfl and Vfa ones here and also the mcg with the planned rennovations.

for example it can be like how some have torn up their grass and re-layed it with the all-year-round grass which is a nice idea BUT the grass during 8-10 months of the yr before that was lush and smooth instead of this soft spongy stuff that is getting re-layed. personally i don't think it's a good idea.

another issue i have at the moment is how at a n.o of grounds dogs are allowed to be walked [obv not during play!]. i am not talking about places like your local oval but the old vfl and Vfa ones. these grounds should be preserved and treated with more class.

a lot of stands have been torn down over the past 10yrs. morabbin, windy hill and vic park to name a few. what is the future for thes esorts of grounds?? what are your memories of them? and what are your and suburban and country grounds?

 

[blaze036]

MCG -

Daylight


clouds



daylight



Metricom / Skoda (for appearance) imo

 

[s_cranberry]

what are your memories of them? and what are your and suburban and country grounds?

Played my under 16 GF at windy hill 12 years ago... We got smashed... Felt amazing playing there



I think Vic park is great now... Being used as Public space used for local footy

 

[Righteo]

Play Ammos at North Freo, apparently it's the oldest ground in WA.

http://nfafc.com.au

Not the greatest ground to play at though because it's windy as **** like most ovals neat rivers.

 

[andrew81186]

the oval at woodville primary in hoppers crossing A grade ++

 

[Dirty Bird]

Alberton Oval is pretty amazing.

Still have the traditional stand on the members wing.

Have good facilities on the outer for the away supporters. (Some ovals have almost nothing on the outer)

And the facilities in the Alan Scott Building are great for those who use them on matchday. Probably best in the SANFL.

 

[tonk]

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.

 

[SA1NTER]

Etihad Stadium is alright, except for the food and drinks prices and the whole turf issue.

 

[Proud Bogan]

Play Ammos at North Freo, apparently it's the oldest ground in WA.

http://nfafc.com.au

Not the greatest ground to play at though because it's windy as **** like most ovals neat rivers.

Near rivers.

O rly?

 

[Geoff]

Play Ammos at North Freo, apparently it's the oldest ground in WA.

http://nfafc.com.au

Not the greatest ground to play at though because it's windy as **** like most ovals neat rivers.

Played Footy and Cricket at Gil Fraser over 35 years ago, probably one of the most iconic suburban grounds going around. Amazing river location. Does it still have the turf wicket?

 

[jethro11]

Brunswick Street is a very nice place to watch footy.

Also the renovations at Vic Park have made it great to go to. It was sort depressing when it was rotting away and Richmond (yes that's right, Richmond) were training there.

 

[Igloo]

There is a thread about the Geelong West oval on the Geelong board. Good oval. Rock hard, but great to play on.

 

[Running Dog]

Played Footy and Cricket at Gil Fraser over 35 years ago, probably one of the most iconic suburban grounds going around. Amazing river location. Does it still have the turf wicket?

I play social cricket there occasionally but there's no turf wicket. Lovely grandstand.

Lathlain Park is my favourite WAFL ground, with all the trees. It just feels like a natural part of the district, and gives a feel of what suburban footy used to be like. I also like the grinning devil on the grandstand (although I'm not sure it's still there).

 

[mick06]

Played Footy and Cricket at Gil Fraser over 35 years ago, probably one of the most iconic suburban grounds going around. Amazing river location. Does it still have the turf wicket?

Yeh the turf is still there, always enjoy batting down there middle of summer and you still get the breeze through. Guys i know that have played footy there say it gets pretty chopped up these days though? Pot holes and bumps throughout?

 

[The Coon Dog]

I posted this some time ago on the Bulldog's Board about the old VFL Grounds.

A bygone culture. Tribal football played between opposing suburbs. I absolutely LOVED going to all (well, most) the other VFL grounds in the 70's & 80's.

Here are some of my memories of those grounds, not necessarily matches played there.


PRINCES PARK:

I used to catch a bus from Braybrook to the city & then walk to Elizabeth Street to catch a tram. I really didn't know where I was going, just followed the crowd. As opposition supporters we were herded into the Northern end of the ground. It always seemed to be packed.

The scoreboard was a ripper. The numbers were yellow & I found that easier to see. Those guys up there were so quick, often putting up the scores before the goal umpire had signalled. There was this little saying on the scoreboard which I never found out what it meant. It used to say "What is a HIC?"


VICTORIA PARK:

No tram, but a train from Princess Bridge (funny, used to go to Flinders Street number 1 platform & walk underground for ages to find it) Station. It'd be teeming with hordes of the black & white faithful.

When the train pulled in at the station all you could see were the back of the grandstands painted right up to the sky in black & white stripes.

To me the ground always seemed half built & half falling down. All the walls that surrounded the stands in the outer seemed cracked.

It was hard to see, you were constantly being bumped & the toilets stank.

Always a great atmosphere tho, unless Collingwood lost when the mood could turn unpredictable quite suddenly.


WINDY HILL:

This involved swapping trains at North Melbourne & again following the crowd. It was a fair walk to the ground & you ran the gauntlet by dodging cars to get there.

Inevitably you ended up on a hill in the outer standing on stones. Occasionally if you got there early enough you could climb the advertising signs & watch from up there.

I loved to see that old grandstand with a round window.


JUNCTION OVAL:

I loved the short train trip to St.Kilda station from Flinders Street. There seemed so much more to look out & see.

This was one ground you couldn't walk around as there was a members only area so most times you sat on the outer or stood behind the goals.

I liked to look at the hexagonal building that overlooked the ground (Cadbury Schweppes building) that featured regularly on the cop TV show 'Bluey'.


WESTERN OVAL:

Obviously my favourite. My whole family would catch a bus & get off at the corner of Barkly Street & Gordon Street, buy a footy record & line up to get our season tickets clipped (no fancy bar code in those days, it was clipped with a circle or a 'V').

Free seating in the EJ Whitten stand in the front row & say hello to all these people who were in their same spots each week (didn't know who they were).

Head down with autograph book in hand & await the senior players arrival. Catch up with those I missed who were standing in front of the EJ Whitten stand watching the reserves.

Check out the souviner stall to get sew on names for the duffel coat.

I used to love looking to my right to see the unfinished Westgate Bridge.

Grab a cardbox box & slide down the stones.

What a fantastic trip home the bus ride was if we won!!


KARDINIA PARK:

Didn't venture down there too often as a kid. Once we sat in the stand & past the other side of the ground I could see a house I was convinced belonged to the Addams Family.

It was an awfully long train trip home if we lost (which we did thru the 70's).


MCG:

A train trip from Flinders Street to Richmond. I would always stare at the magnificent stadium as we passed it.

The toilets used to fascinate me. They were painted in red for men & green for women (or vice versa). There seemed so many of them.

I loved that old clock in the members stand.

You could play hide & seek & never be found, ever.


ARDEN STREET:

This was a walk from North Melbourne station down a street with factories that seemed to churn out bread or concrete.

"North Have Courage" signs were up over the ground as well as it being dwarfed on the outer side by a huge gasometer.

It always seemed to be cold there.


MOORABBIN:

How far away was this ground? Just when you thought you were close by getting off at the station you had this walk which seemed to go on thru about 3 suburbs.

What a bog! Rumours persisted for years of the ground being watered. It always seemed to be muddy.

The supporters down there seemed a hearty breed (read feral).


LAKESIDE OVAL:

Like the Junction Oval this was a short train trip to Albert Park.

This probably had the worst scoreboard in the league.

Up one end was a red & white grandstand. It always seemed windy.


VFL PARK:

How I hated going here. It was a long train ride to Glen Waverley station then a long bus trip to the ground. Always remember going past Brandon Park Shopping Centre.

The bus used to park miles from the ground so you had a decent walk to get in & then had to go over the other side of the ground.

Didn't matter where you decided to sit, the play always seemed to be miles away.

On the rare occasions it was sunny you couldn't see the scores on the big sepia scoreboard. Remember it was in the shape of a V with a blue footy on top.



*There was far more importance on the toss in those days as wind & rain & mud & slippery grounds were factors. It added to the excitement.

Afterwards you could get out on the ground & have a kick. Funny with all those balls being booted out there you never seemed to get hit.

As always there was the old guy with glasses who made himself into an institution selling peanuts (shilling a bag). They were nice & left a nice mess afterwards.

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Without a doubt Fremantle Oval is the most loved stadium in WA, still has a heap of character. East Fremantle Oval go eat a bag of dicks, it was the first venue I ever went to and took forever on the bus from Rockingham...we (West Perth) were also taken to the cleaners by the Sharks featuring Peake, Mainwairing etc in 1985. I'll never forget the old Italians paying out on my brothers and I.

My favourite grounds would have to be Bassendean Oval and Lathlain Park even with the Demons fans being loudmouth pricks half the time. I live literally around the corner from Bassendean Oval now and it still has a community feel when the Swans play at home. Leederville was great back in the day when the real team played there instead of these gypsies from Perth Oval and Subi but it all seems corporate and carved up now. Kind of killed off the childhood memories of seeing the cardies there.

Have always loved Kardinya Park obviously, was never old enough to get over to Melbourne to see the old suburban grounds.

 

[blueboy25]

Play Ammos at North Freo, apparently it's the oldest ground in WA.

http://nfafc.com.au

Not the greatest ground to play at though because it's windy as **** like most ovals neat rivers.

I played against North Freo down there last season, the rain was coming in sideways, 60% of the ground was mud or underwater.

Being the away team and wearing white shorts the Mrs wasn't happy when i dumped my shorts and socks in the washing basket when I got home, 3 washes in napisan later and the white shorts are good as new.

 

[blueboy25]

I play social cricket there occasionally but there's no turf wicket. Lovely grandstand.

Lathlain Park is my favourite WAFL ground, with all the trees. It just feels like a natural part of the district, and gives a feel of what suburban footy used to be like. I also like the grinning devil on the grandstand (although I'm not sure it's still there).

The turf wicket is on the oval next to the footy oval.

 

[smallfooty]

Without a doubt Fremantle Oval is the most loved stadium in WA, still has a heap of character.

agree....i cannot count the amount of times i have sat in the grandstand on a saturday night sinking bevies before heading into town to go clubbing....also used to be a great free parking spot before they installed pillars to stop you parking on the grassy hill on the prison side.

Despite the fact i support the pies Fremantle oval is my spiritual home

 

[thecatattack]

Skilled/Simonds stadium is the best.

 

[Stats Man]

that was a great post, coondog. some great memories. enjoying what everyone's said. it's interesting..footy grounds have character

 

[Natho]

Always loved watching footy at Medibank Stadium (Leederville)

 

[redmonkeyman]

Skilled/Simonds stadium is the best.

Agree!!

 

[NQTIGER]

Ahhhh memories coondog......the guy selling peanuts was also at princes park and jeesus he could carry a big bag.

 

[Super sub]

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