Eureka Stadium
 | |
| Former names | Northern Oval #1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Creswick Road, Wendouree. Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
| Operator | City of Ballarat |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1990 |
| Built | 1990 |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Tenants | |
|
North Ballarat Football Club (VFL), North Ballarat Rebels (TAC Cup) North Ballarat Cricket Club (Ballarat Cricket Association) (1993-) North Ballarat Eagles (VWFL) | |
Eureka Stadium, (formerly known as Northern Oval or more accurately Northern Oval #1), is an oval shaped sports stadium located in the Ballarat Showgrounds at Wendouree, an outer suburb of Ballarat in Australia.
It was built between 1990-91 when the North Ballarat Football Club and North Ballarat Cricket Club moved from their nearby Showgrounds oval. The stadium is owned by the City of Ballarat and is part of their Ballarat Showgrounds complex. Eureka Stadium currently has a capacity of around 10,000 and features a main grandstand with limited seating and social club on the main wing. The record attendance at the stadium is 8,000, set during an AFL pre-season match between North Melbourne and Western Bulldogs during the 2012 NAB Cup.
The ground is a major venue for multiple sports events, but primarily Australian rules football and cricket, and home to the Ballarat Gift and has a large sports club, hospitality and gaming venue constructed in 1991 with an upgrade to the playing surface. It is also used by the Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society during the annual Ballarat Show.
The ground is tenanted by the North Ballarat Football Club of the Victorian Football League and North Ballarat Rebels of the TAC Cup, and is the homeground for both teams.
AFL Venue
Australian Football League club North Melbourne established a relationship with the local club in 2009 and it has played pre-season matches at the ground in 2010, 2011 and 2012 with strong attendances.
It hosted a 2010 NAB Challenge match between North Melbourne and Hawthorn drew an attendance of 4,500. The healthy crowd saw the AFL schedule the stadium to host the 2011 NAB Challenge between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs which drew 7,000[1] and a 2012 NAB Cup between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs which drew a record attendance of 8,000.
North Melbourne Football Club has proposed playing up to four of its low-drawing AFL premiership season matches there each year. However the ground does not currently meet the standards of the AFL as a premiership season venue, with strict requirements of the stadium's seating for patrons, adequate playing surface and field dimensions.
The long mooted proposal to upgrade the stadium to AFL standard came to head as a local issue during the 2010 Victorian State Election with both the Electoral district of Ballarat East and Electoral district of Ballarat West being key marginal election seats. During its re-election campaign the Brumby Ministry made an promise to spend $30 million upgrading the complex.[2][3] The incoming Baillieu Ministry, however, was not in favour. In the absence of state funding, a consortium including the AFL, City of Ballarat and the North Ballarat Football Club have proposed $15m be spent on the venue to upgrade it.[4]
References
- ↑ NAB Challenge hit-out: Roos right at home, The Courier, 9 March 2011.
- ↑ http://www.news.com.au/kangaoos-may-play-home-and-away-matches-in-ballarat/story-e6frf9jf-1225960093284
- ↑ Labor promises $30m for Eureka Stadium. The Courier. 24 Nov 2010
- ↑ Windley, Matt: Ballarat still on AFL's mind, Herald Sun, 11 October 2011.
External links
- Eureka Stadium at Austadiums
Coordinates: 37°32′22.3″S 143°50′52.9″E / 37.539528°S 143.848028°E