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| Former names | Olympic Sports Field (1963-1994) |
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| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Record attendance | 13,132 – Adelaide City vs Sydney Marconi, 1977 |
| Field size | 153m x 119m |
| Field shape | Oval |
| Opened | 10 July 1875 |
| Tenants | |
| Kensington Districts Cricket Club | |
The Kensington Oval is located on 344 The Parade, Kensington, South Australia. [1] Now used primarily for cricket in South Australia, the venue was once Adelaide's premier athletics facility and known as Olympic Sports Field. [2]
From an area originally known as Shipsters Paddock, Kensington Oval was officially opened for play on Saturday afternnon, 10 July 1875 by the Hon. L. Glyde, the President of the Kensington Athletic Association. [3] [4]
The ground was originally used for a range of sports including Australian Rules Football and Tennis. Annual Athletics Sports Carnivals were also held at the venue. [5] The Kensington Football Club and the Norwood Football Club, along with other SAFA teams played regularly at the oval between 1875 and 1897 as an alternate venue to Adelaide Oval. [6]
The Norwood Cycle and Motor Club, now Norwood Cycling Club, the oldest cycling club in the southern hemisphere, had its opening day celebrations at the oval on 4 February 1884. [7]
As the home ground of the Kensington Districts Cricket Club, [8] Sir Donald Bradman played there often after joining the Kensington club upon his move to Adelaide from Sydney in 1935. [9] [10] [11] In 1937 [12] one district cricket match had three Australian Test cricketers participating - Sir Donald Bradman as Captain and Clarrie Grimmett a leg spinner for Kensington, two out of the initial ten Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees in 1996, and Clayvel Lindsay "Jack" Badcock a former Tasmanian who opened the batting for Adelaide. [11] In 1939, Bradman scored 303 in 226 minutes (41 fours and 1 six), after being dropped on 7 at first slip, in a district game against Glenelg breaking the club record which was previously 222 by Ross Moyle. [13]
In addition to the Norwood Football Club the oval was regularly used by all SAFA (now SANFL) clubs for matches up until the 1897 season after which games were played at the newly opened Jubilee Oval in Adelaide.
It was reported in 1922 - The effort of the enthusiasts who are endeavoring to rejuvenate the Kensington Oval was evidenced on Saturday, when the South Adelaides played a practice-game with their B team on the ground. The Souths are therefore the first league team to encourage the resurrection of one of the finest ovals of old times. [14]
It was reported in 1925 - Kensington Oval, one of the finest grounds in the State, is practically going to waste. The famous Norwood redlegs played football at Kensington for many years and a great number of historic associations are attached to the ground. About 25 years ago, however, on the contention that Kensington Oval was inaccessible, the red-and-blues transferred to the Norwood Oval, and the Kensington arena was almost untouched for many years. [15] [16]
Despite an offer from the South Australian Soccer authorities, the Kensington Club, being supporters of the Australian game of football, gave to the Football League the right to play football at Kensington for the next 20 years. This season South B have made the oval their headquarters, and B grade matches have been played there. [17]
Five years ago when the Kensington Cricket Club came into existence in B grade an energetic committee, at first consisting of Messrs. J. N. Jackson, S. Williams (a former Norwood footballer), A. Ballans, J.Keogh (secretary), and J. A. Bahr (the well-known former Norwood captain), secured a five years' lease of the oval from the Burnside Council with the right of renewal for a further 20 years. Mr. Keogh was stated that a large sum had been spent by the Kensington Cricket Club on improving the ground. Some of the main items of expense are new water service, £100; new fence round the playing area, £280; purchase of old smokers' pavilion front Cricket Association and removal and re-erection at Kensington, £250; laying on of deep drainage, £500 (of which the Burnside Council paid about £200); ploughing and rolling playing area, £100; building up mounds, £250. [17]
SANFL matches returned to Kensington Oval in the 1945 Season when the SANFL signed a five year lease with Burnside City Council and Norwood playing 3 of their home games at the oval. [18] The ground and facilities had been upgraded by Burnside City Council for the upcoming season. [19] The ground was described as better than any suburban ground in Victoria or Western Australia by Haydn Bunton Sr. [20] The first senior football game for 47 years was played on 12 May 1945 when Kensington Oval was declared re-opened by the Governor Sir Willoughby Norrie, who bounced the ball before the start of the Norwood-Port game. His, Excellency passed through an avenue of honor formed by children from Burnside and Marryatville Schools. [21]
From the 1946 Season various fixtures involving all clubs played at Kensington until the 1963 season. The last game being Glenelg Football Club vs North Adelaide Football Club in Round 19 on 31 August 1963.
The highest SAFA Score at Kensington was achieved by South Adelaide Football Club who scored 25 goals and 31 Behinds (181 Points) defeating West Torrens Football Club who scored a single Behind (1 point) in Round 4 of the 1897 SAFA season. [22]
From 1963, the ground was converted into an athletics stadium, featuring a rubber-bitumen track. In 1975, the track was upgraded to tartan track.
As Olympic Sports Field, the ground was home to Athletics South Australia's interclub athletics competition from October to March and the South Australian Championships. A number of Australian Championships; in 1967, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1986 and 1992, were also held at the venue. [23]
The ground was also home to the Adelaide City soccer club and, in 1977, a game against Sydney Marconi saw a record crowd of 13,132. [2]
In the 1990s, a new home for South Australian athletics, Santos Stadium, was built and the oval was returned to a sports playing field, which is held in trust by the City of Burnside and is currently leased for specific hours of (school term) use by the nearby Pembroke School. The running track was removed in 1997 and the ground was redeveloped as a cricket ground. Its original name of Kensington Oval was revived and the ground now plays host to grade and women's cricket matches. [2]
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL, is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Thebarton Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia currently used for a variety of sports including Australian rules football. It was the home ground of South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club West Torrens between 1922 and 1989, and since 2008 has been the home of the South Australian Amateur Football League (SAAFL) now called the Adelaide Footy League.
The Adelaide Football Club, often referred to as the Old Adelaide Football Club, was an Australian rules football club based in Adelaide. Founded on 26 April 1860, it was the first football club formed in South Australia.
The Victorian Football Club, "The Victorians", renamed the North Adelaide Football Club for the 1883 SAFA season, was an Australian rules football club based in North Adelaide, South Australia. The team wore an orange-and black guernsey and hose, with black knickerbockers, and were known to their supporters as "The Tigers."
The 1877 South Australian Football Association season was the inaugural season of the South Australian Football Association, the top-level league of Australian rules football in South Australia.
The 1899 SAFA season was the 23rd edition of the top level of Australian Rules football to be played in South Australia. South Adelaide went on to record its 8th premiership.
The 1878 South Australian Football Association season was the 2nd season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
The 1881 South Australian Football Association season was the 5th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The premiership season began on Saturday 7 May.
The 1888 South Australian Football Association season was the 12th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The Norwood Football Club won their 8th premiership by winning 1 premiership point, or a half a win, more than Port Adelaide.
The 1889 South Australian Football Association season was the 13th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
The 1893 South Australian Football Association season was the 17th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia.
The South Park Football Club was a foundation club of the South Australian Football Association which competed in the inaugural 1877 SAFA season. The Club was based in Adelaide city centre and played its home games on the Adelaide South Parklands.
The 1876 South Australian football season was the fourteenth season of interclub football. It was also the final season of decentralised administration of football in South Australia; the South Australian Football Association was formed the following year to provide a committee-based approach to the administration of the sport.
The Kensington Football Club was one of the first Australian rules football clubs founded in South Australia and played an integral part in the game's development in the state. The early rules used in South Australia were referred to as the "Kensington Rules". Club uniform was a scarlet cap and jacket and white trousers.
The club was one of the founding teams of the South Australian Football Association in 1877.
The Gawler Football Club was an Australian rules football club that was founded in June 1868 based at Gawler in the Township of Gawler about 39 km to the north-north east of Adelaide, South Australia.
The Bankers Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the inaugural 1877 South Australian Football Association (SAFA) season. The club was formed on 28 March 1877 from a meeting of about 30 officers of the Banks of Adelaide.
The 1872 South Australian football season was the tenth year of interclub football in South Australia.
Royal Park Football Club was an Australian rules football based in Adelaide, South Australia that that competed in the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) in 1882. Royal Park only played five matches in the 1882 SAFA season before folding, with another five matches being recorded as forfeits.
The Woodville Football Club (SAFA) originally known as the Port Suburban Football Club (from 1868–1870) was an Australian rules football club that participated in the foundation year of the South Australian Football Association. It is not related to the Woodville Football Club formed in 1938 and which competed in the South Australia Amateur League (SAAL) until it was admitted to the SANFL in 1959.
The West Adelaide Football Club (1878–1887), previously known as the West Torrens Football Club, was an Australian rules football club that participated in the South Australian Football Association during the 1887 SAFA season.
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