Marrara Oval

Last updated

TIO Stadium
Marrara Stadium
Marrara Oval
TIO Stadium logo.png
Marrara Oval grandstand.png
View of the grandstand at Marrara Oval in March 2016
Marrara Oval
Former namesFootball Park
Location Marrara, Northern Territory
Coordinates 12°23′57″S130°53′14″E / 12.39917°S 130.88722°E / -12.39917; 130.88722
Owner Government of the Northern Territory
Operator AFL Northern Territory
Capacity 12,500 [1]
Field size175 m × 135 m (574 ft × 443 ft) [2]
SurfaceGrass
Opened1991
Tenants
Ground information
End names
McMillans Road End
Airport End
International information
First Test18–20 July 2003:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Last Test1–3 July 2004:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
First ODI6 August 2003:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Last ODI6 September 2008:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
As of 28 May 2020
Source: Cricinfo

Marrara Oval (also known as TIO Stadium under naming rights and previously as Football Park) is a sports ground in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. The ground primarily hosts Australian rules football, cricket, and rugby league.

Contents

Marrara Oval was opened in 1991. It has a capacity of 12,500 people, making it the largest stadium in the Northern Territory. However, the ground has a record attendance of 17,500, set in 2003 for a football game featuring the Indigenous All-Stars. Marrara Oval has hosted at least one Australian Football League (AFL) game in every season since 2004 and at least one National Rugby League (NRL) game in every season since 2012. The ground has also hosted both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket fixtures, most recently in 2008.

History

Australian rules football

Marrara Oval was officially opened to the public on 30 June 1991 as the new home of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), and was conservatively estimated as costing $8 million. [3] The first game played under lights at Marrara was a match between Nightcliff and Southern Districts on 9 December 1994. Transport and Works Minister Daryl Manzie officially handed over the lights to the NTFL that day. Installing the lights cost $1.2 million. [4] The light towers were constructed by Darwin firm Norbuilt. [5]

In February 1992, Marrara Oval hosted its first match sanctioned by the Australian Football League (AFL), a preseason Foster's Cup fixture between Collingwood and West Coast attended by 11,000 people. Further preseason fixtures were hosted at the ground over the next decade, including several Indigenous All-Stars games and a historic match between Essendon Bombers and West Coast Eagles in the AFL 2000 pre-season where Essendon went on to win the Ansett Cup. A 2003 match between the Indigenous All-Stars and Carlton attracted a crowd of 17,500 people, setting a new ground record. [6] The first regular-season AFL match played at Marrara Oval came in round 20 of the 2004 season, when the Western Bulldogs hosted Port Adelaide. [7]

Between 2004 and 2008 a single Western Bulldogs "home" game was played at the ground each season. In 2010, Melbourne also began to play an annual "home" fixture in Darwin. The Western Bulldogs onsold their 2011 fixture to Richmond, but returned for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Port Adelaide also had a three-year deal with the Northern Territory government and Marrara Oval, in which they would be the "away" team for games at TIO Stadium each year between 2009 and 2012. Since 2014, only one AFL game has been played at Marrara Oval each year. From 2020, Gold Coast will play two home games a year at Marrara Oval, replacing Melbourne.

Marrara Oval has been a secondary home ground of the Adelaide Crows women's team since 2017. In April 2016, the Adelaide Crows launched a successful bid to enter a team in the inaugural AFL Women's season. The bid was constructed in partnership with AFLNT, with the club to share resources and facilities between its Adelaide base and AFLNT's Darwin location. It included a commitment to host some home games in Darwin. [8]

In 2020, Marrara Oval hosted the annual Dreamtime at the 'G match between Essendon and Richmond as it was not possible for the match to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground due to the city of Melbourne, and ultimately the state of Victoria, being locked down during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [9]

AFL records

Cricket

Marrara Oval has hosted top-level international cricket on several occasions. It is sometimes known as Darwin Cricket Ground during these matches. In July 2003, the ground hosted the first Test of a series between Australia and Bangladesh. A One Day International (ODI) game between the same teams was played the following month. In July 2004, a second Test was played, the first of a series between Australia and Sri Lanka. After that, top-level international cricket did not return to Marrara Oval until mid-2008, when the ground hosted a three-ODI series between Australia and Bangladesh. [11]

International centuries

Two Test [12] and One ODI [13] centuries have been scored at the venue.

Tests
No.ScorePlayerTeamBallsInningsOpposing teamDateResult
1110 Darren Lehmann Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 18 July 2003Won
2100* Steve Waugh Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 18 July 2003Won
ODIs
No.ScorePlayerTeamBallsInningsOpposing teamDateResult
1101 Ricky Ponting Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 6 August 2003Won

International five-wicket hauls

Four Test five-wicket hauls have been taken at the venue. [14]

No.FiguresPlayerTeamOpposing teamDateResult
15/65 Stuart MacGill Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 18 July 2003Australia won
25/31 Chaminda Vaas Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1 July 2004Sri Lanka lost
35/37 Glenn McGrath Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 1 July 2004Australia won
47/39 Michael Kasprowicz Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 1 July 2004Australia won

Rugby league

In the National Rugby League (NRL), the Sydney Roosters played host against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 7 of the 2012 NRL season in front of 10,008 fans. This was the first time Darwin hosted a professional Rugby League game since 1995. [15] The second game at Marrara came in Round 17 of the 2013 NRL season when the Penrith Panthers (who had previously played games in Darwin during the 1990s) defeated the Gold Coast Titans 40–18 in front of 8,050 for what was a Titans home game.

In 2014, the Parramatta Eels, a Sydney-based National Rugby League (NRL) club, announced they would be playing four games at Marrara over the following four years. The first game came on 9 August (Round 22) during the 2014 NRL season when the Eels defeated the Canberra Raiders 18–10 in front of 9,527 fans.

In 2017 Marrara Oval hosted a quarter-final of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup between Australia and Samoa, Australia winning 46–0. It drew a crowd of 13,473, which is the highest rugby league crowd the stadium has ever gotten and the fourth highest overall. [16]

Other events

TIO Stadium has hosted AC/DC for their "Ballbreaker" tour in November 1996, when 13,000 fans and 170 tonnes of equipment packed the ground. Sir Elton John performed for the first time in the Northern Territory, at TIO Stadium on 17 May 2008 as part of his Australian Tour. [17] [18]

AFL records

Individual

Last updated: 17 May 2024 [19]

Attendance records

Top 10 sports attendance records
No.DateTeamsSportCompetitionCrowd
17 February 2003 Indigenous All-Stars vs. Carlton Australian rules football n/a17,500
212 February 1994 Indigenous All-Stars vs. Collingwood Australian rules football n/a15,000
312 August 2006 Western Bulldogs vs. Port Adelaide Australian rules football AFL 14,100
417 November 2017 Australia vs. Samoa Rugby league 2017 RLWC 13,473
514 August 2004 Western Bulldogs vs. Port Adelaide Australian rules football AFL 13,271
611 February 2007 Indigenous All-Stars vs. Essendon Australian rules football n/a13,119
718 June 2005 Western Bulldogs vs. Carlton Australian rules football AFL 13,037
816 May 2024 Gold Coast vs. Geelong Australian rules football AFL 12,112
915 July 2017 Melbourne vs. Adelaide Australian rules football AFL 12,104
1023 April 2021 Parramatta Eels vs. Brisbane Broncos Rugby League NRL 12,056

Last updated on 17 May 2024

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canberra Stadium</span> Stadium in Canberra, Australia

Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports venue by capacity in Canberra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Oval</span> Stadium in Adelaide, South Australia

The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, rugby union, soccer, tennis among other sports as well as regularly being used to hold concerts. Austadiums.com described Adelaide Oval as being "one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world." After the completion of the ground's most recent redevelopment in 2014, sports journalist Gerard Whateley described the venue as being "the most perfect piece of modern architecture because it's a thoroughly contemporary stadium with all the character that it's had in the past."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Park</span> Sports stadium in Auckland, New Zealand

Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is sometimes referred to as New Zealand's national stadium. The stadium is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer, and has also hosted rugby league and association football matches, as well as concerts and cultural events. It is owned and operated by the Eden Park Trust Board, whose headquarters are located in the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrara Stadium</span> Stadium on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Carrara Stadium is a stadium on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Sydney Oval</span> Sports venue

North Sydney Oval is a multi-use sporting facility in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, owned and operated by North Sydney Council. First used as a cricket ground in 1867, it is also used for Australian rules football, rugby league, rugby union and soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuka Oval</span> Stadium in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, although this is lower for some sports depending on the configuration used. The area on which the ground is situated has been used for sport since the early 20th century, but was only enclosed in 1929. It has since undergone several redevelopments, most recently beginning in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leichhardt Oval</span> Stadium in Leichhardt New South Wales, Australia

Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney Stadium. Prior to its merger with the Western Suburbs Magpies, it was the longtime home of the Balmain Tigers, who used the ground from 1934–1994 and 1997–1999. It was named after Ludwig Leichhardt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindmarsh Stadium</span> Football stadium

Hindmarsh Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Hindmarsh, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cazalys Stadium</span> Stadium in Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Cazalys Stadium is a sports stadium in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is situated in the suburb of Westcourt. The stadium is named after the social club which abuts the oval, Cazalys, which itself was named after Australian rules footballer Roy Cazaly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willows Sports Complex</span> Stadium in Townsville, Queensland, Australia

The Willows Sports Complex was a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was used predominantly as a rugby league ground as the home ground of the North Queensland Cowboys National Rugby League club. The ground was also used for rugby union and soccer. From 2009 to 2011, A-League football club North Queensland Fury called it home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Territory Football League</span>

The Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traeger Park</span> Sports complex in Alice Springs, NT

Traeger Park is a sports complex located in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, and is named after Alfred Hermann Traeger. The park was officially opened by Anne Catherine Smallwood Alfred's younger daughter. The primary stadium in the complex caters for Australian rules football and cricket and has a capacity of 7200. The complex also has a small baseball stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian rules football in the Northern Territory</span>

Australian rules football is the most popular sport in the Northern Territory (NT), particularly among Indigenous Australian communities in Darwin, Alice Springs and the Tiwi Islands. It is governed by AFL Northern Territory. In 2017, it was reported that 18% of Territorians participate in Australian rules football—the highest rate of participation in Australia. The sport also produces more professional AFL players per capita in the than any other state or territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmore Sports Ground</span> Football field in Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Belmore Sports Ground, formerly known as Belmore Oval, is a multi-purpose stadium in Belmore, New South Wales, Australia. The park covers 22 acres (89,000 m2) and from 1951 has contained the Belmore Bowling Recreation Club green. It is close to Belmore railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in the Northern Territory</span> Sport in the Northern Territory

Many sports are played in the Northern Territory of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drummoyne Oval</span> Sports ground of Sydney, Australia

Drummoyne Oval is a multi-use sports ground in the Sydney inner-west suburb of Drummoyne, New South Wales. The ground has been used for international women's cricket matches, domestic men's cricket matches and first grade rugby league as well as local Australian rules football and Rugby Union games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thebarton Oval</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Showground Stadium</span> Stadium in Sydney

Sydney Showground Stadium is a sports and events stadium located at the Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It hosted the baseball events for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The Showground, including the stadium, is operated by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), under lease from the New South Wales Government.

References

  1. ↑ McGowan, Marc (13 July 2017). "Sell-out likely as big time footy hits Top End". AFL.com.au. Bigpond . Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Atkinson, Cody; Lawson, Sean (15 June 2022). "From the SCG to Kardinia Park — do ground sizes contribute to the end result in AFL games?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Geracitano, Ted (29 June 1991). "Marrara magic: public spotlight shines on colosseum". NT News . News Corp Australia.
  4. ↑ Poole, Eric (8 December 1994). "Media release: Northern Territory Government Sports Minister Eric Poole" (Press release). Darwin, Northern Territory: Department of Sport and Recreation.
  5. ↑ Morris, Grey (15 November 2004). "Park lights up for footy action". NT News . News Corp Australia.
  6. ↑ TIO Stadium Crowds, Austadiums. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Marrara Oval – All Games, AFL Tables. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Burtenshaw, David (29 April 2016). "Women's bid lodged with AFL". Adelaide FC. Bigpond. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  9. ↑ Barrett, Damian (31 July 2020). "The Dreamtime NOT at the 'G: Sir Doug Nicholls headline act gets new stage". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Marrara Oval". AFL Tables.
  11. ↑ Marrara Cricket Ground, Darwin, CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Batting records" . Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / Test matches / Batting records" . Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  14. ↑ "TIO Stadium, Darwin / Records / Test matches / Best bowling figures in an innings" . Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  15. ↑ "Darwin to host Cowboys and Roosters". NT News . News Corp Australia. 21 September 2011.
  16. ↑ "TIO Stadium Crowds (Marrara Stadium) | Austadiums". www.austadiums.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Elton John to rock with the crocs". ABC Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 April 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  18. ↑ "Sir Elton rolls in for crocodile rock". NT News . News Corp Australia. 1 April 2008. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  19. ↑ AFL Tables - Venues - Marrara
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.