Parramatta Stadium 3834141 219254194 2008-06-14T09:38:15Z Joseph031164 6199372 /* External links */ {{Infobox_Stadium | stadium_name = Parramatta Stadium | nickname = Parramatta Stadium from the air| image = <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Parramatta1.jpg|250px|center]] -->| location = [[Parramatta, New South Wales|Parramatta]], [[New South Wales]]| broke_ground = 1985 (Redeveloped 2002/3)| opened = 1986| closed = Open| demolished = N/A| owner = Parramatta Stadium Trust | operator = Parramatta Stadium Trust | surface = | construction_cost = | architect = Civil & Civic| former_names = | tenants = [[Parramatta Eels]] ([[National Rugby League|NRL]]) ([[1947]] - present)| seating_capacity = <center>25,000</center> | }} '''Parramatta Stadium''' is a sports stadium situated in [[Parramatta, New South Wales|Parramatta]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. The stadium is used primarily as the home ground of Australian [[National Rugby League]] (NRL) club the [[Parramatta Eels]] but has also hosted numerous other sporting and cultural events since its opening in [[1986]] including the [[Sydney]] leg of [[Michael Jackson]]'s [[Bad World Tour]]. ==Attendances== * The highest crowd to attend a match at Parramatta Stadium was for the rugby league Test match between Australia and [[France national rugby league team|France]] in 1994. This game attracted a crowd of 27,918. * The highest crowd to attend a match at Parramatta Stadium after the redevelopment of the hill areas is 21,141 (Parramatta Eels versus [[Wests Tigers]] in round 7 of the 2006 NRL season.) * The average crowd at Parramatta Stadium for Parramatta Eels home games in 2005 was 16,478. * The highest average for a Season in the NSWRL/ARL/SL/NRL Season for the [[Parramatta Eels]] was set in 1986. == History == ===Cumberland Oval (1847 - 1981)=== Parramatta Stadium is the second sports ground to occupy the site, the first being Cumberland Oval which was the main sporting venue of the Parramatta District from the mid 19th Century through to the 1980s, hosting horse-racing, [[cricket]], [[rugby union]], [[Athletics (track and field)|athletics]] and [[motorsport]]. While used since 1847 as a sportsground, the first stand at Cumberland Oval was built in 1850 and others followed at various times up to the final stand was built in 1936. The oval was surrounded by a post and two-rail fence that was constructed in the 1860s by players of the Central Cumberland Cricket Club. <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Cumberland_oval.jpg|thumb|right|320px| Cumberland Oval stood in the site now occupied by Parramatta Stadium.]] --> ====Cricket==== Central Cumberland Cricket Club, formed in 1862, played at Cumberland Oval from 1863, and played famous [[England Cricket Team|England XI]] touring sides during the 1880s and 1890s. Now known as the Parramatta District Cricket Club, Sydney grade cricket is now played at Old Kings' Oval, which stands less than 100m behind Parramatta Stadium. ====Rugby union==== [[Rugby union]] was played at Cumberland Oval from 1879 and, from 1936, Parramatta (now the [[Parramatta Two Blues]]) played home matches at the Oval, the team now plays its matches at [[Granville Rugby Park]]. ===Rugby league at Cumberland=== Rugby league was played at Cumberland Oval from as early as 1909 by local clubs such as Parramatta Iona, Endeavours and the Western Districts representative side. When the Parramatta District Rugby League Club (later known as the Parramatta Eels) was admitted into the NSWRL Premiership in 1947 Cumberland Oval became the club's home ground. The first match was played against [[Newtown Jets|Newtown]] (now Newtown Jets) on 12 April, 1947, before a crowd of 6,000. Cumberland Oval remained the home ground of the Parramatta Eels until [[1981]], playing their last match there against [[Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles]] in August before going on to win their maiden [[New South Wales Rugby League|NSWRL]] Premiership that year. The largest crowd to watch a [[rugby league]] match at Cumberland Oval was 22,470 when the Eels took on the [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]] on 26 April [[1971]]. ===Cumberland burns=== As the Parramatta Eels secured their first-ever Premiership, defeating the Newtown Jets in the 1981 Grand Final, wild scenes erupted in Parramatta with Eels fans celebrating and rallying at Cumberland Oval and, in a frenzy of excitement, burning the Oval's (soon to be demolished) stand to the ground. The ground was also used for the short-lived Sydney Tigers, what became of Balmain Tigers. in 1997 the Sydney Tigers went back to being Balmain Tigers and moved back to Leichhardt oval. ==A new stadium== <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Construction 2.jpg|thumb|right|320px| Parramatta Stadium during construction.]] --> <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:parramatta stadium opening.jpg|thumb|right|320px|Parramatta run out for the first Premiership match at the stadium.]] --> ===Building and opening=== The new stadium to be built on the site of Cumberland Oval was approved by the [[New South Wales]] Government for development in 1983 and the contract for the construction and design of the Stadium was put up for tender. * In November 1984 the construction company [[Civil & Civic]] won the contract to design and build the stadium. * In November 1985 the Stadium was complete and the grass was planted. * On March 5 1986, the Stadium was opened by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] ([[Official Openings by the Monarch in Australia]]), and, on March 16, the first NSWRL Premiership match was played at the ground, with Parramatta defeating the [[St. George Dragons]] 36 - 6. ===Redevelopment (2002 - 2003)=== * In December 2002, work began on converting the formerly grassed hill areas (The [[Brett Kenny]] Hill and The [[Peter Sterling]] Hill) into seated terrace areas (holding 4,500 spectators). This redevelopment reduced the ground's capacity to 20,000, down from the previous capacity of 27,000. ===New Southern Stand === In May 2007 the Parramatta Stadium Trust announced plans to build a new southern stand with room for 2,700 extra patrons as well as a players change room and gym.<ref>[http://www.parramattastadium.com.au/article.phtml?artid=105 ''Parramatta Stadium to build new Southern Grandstand'', Parramatta Stadium Trust] Retrieved on 18 September 2007</ref> ==Other sports played at Parramatta Stadium== ====Baseball==== Baseball has also been played at Parramatta Stadium with the [[Sydney Blues]] playing home matches there. The Sydney Blues entered the [[Australian Baseball League]] in 1992 and played out of Parramata Stadium to much controversy of having such a short home-run fence in right field. The ''Sydney Blues'' were later known as the [[Sydney Storm]] who also played some games at Parramatta, until the collapse of the Australian Baseball League in 1999. ====Football (soccer)==== [[Parramatta Power]], a [[National Soccer League]] (NSL) club owned and operated by [[Parramatta Eels|Parramatta Leagues Club]], played home games at the Stadium between 1999 and 2004. With the announcement of the demise of the NSL, and the creation of the [[A-League]], the club was wound-up at the end of the 2003/2004 season. It played in the last-ever NSL Grand Final against [[Perth Glory FC|Perth Glory]] which was played at the Stadium. The ground all up hosted 7 NSL Grand Final matches, in 1986 (second leg), 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2001 and 2004. In April [[Sydney FC]] played one game in the [[2007 AFC Champions League|AFC Champions League]] here against [[Persik Kediri]]. [[Sydney FC]] won 3-0. ====Rugby union==== A number of [[New South Wales Rugby Union|NSW Rugby Union]] club matches were played at Parramatta Stadium between 2001 and 2002. Australia also played a match against Canada in 2002 at the Stadium. During 2007, Parramatta Stadium was also the home ground for the [[Western Sydney Rams]] club side that participated in the now defunct [[Australian Rugby Championship]].<ref>[http://www.waratahs.com.au/MediaExtranet/News/2006/November/VenuesConfirmedforNSWNationalCompetitionTeams.aspx ''Venues Confirmed for NSW National Competition Teams'', NSW Rugby] Retrieved on 27 February 2007</ref> ==External links== *[http://www.parramattastadium.com.au/ Parramatta Stadium official site] *http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=85 ==References== {{reflist}} {{coor title dms|33|48|29.29|S|150|59|58.82|E|type:landmark}} {{NRL Grounds}} {{australian-baseball-stadiums}} [[Category:Rugby league stadiums in Australia]] [[Category:Baseball venues in Australia]] [[fr:Parramatta Stadium]]