Ravenhill Stadium (known as the Affidea Stadium for sponsorship reasons from July 2025,[2] formerly known as the Kingspan Stadium) is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby. With the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.
Up until the 1920s, Ulster and Ireland played games at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in Belfast.[3] In 1923 the IRFU purchased Ravenhill rugby ground, formerly the home of Cooke RFC,[4] for £2,300,[5] and built a stand holding 3,500 spectators at a cost of £15,500,[6] designed by Belfast architects Henry Hobart and Samuel Heron.[3] It was inaugurated on 12 January 1924 with a 14-6 Ulster win over Leinster,[5] and soon afterwards, on 9 February 2024, hosted Ireland's 3-14 defeat to England.[3] A memorial arch, dedicated to Irish rugby players killed in World War I and World War II, was erected at the entrance and dedicated in 1926.[7]
Ravenhill has hosted 18 international matches, including pool games in both the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups. The most recent Ireland international played at the stadium was on 24 August 2007 against Italy in a warm-up match for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.[8] Prior to that match, Scotland was the last visitor in the 1954 Five Nations Championship.[8] Ravenhill also hosted the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship final in which New Zealand defeated South Africa.
Ravenhill hosted memorable Ulster games in the Heineken Cup. Ulster beat Toulouse 15–13 at Ravenhill in the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 Heineken Cup. Ravenhill then hosted the 1998–99 Heineken Cup semi-final in which Ulster defeated Stade Français 33–27. The most memorable moment in that game was when out half David Humphreys ran from the Ulster 10-metre line to score a try.
Ulster v Glasgow Warriors in October 2014 with the redeveloped main stand in the background.
On 26 August 2017, the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup Final was played at the Kingspan Stadium. New Zealand beat England 41–32. The semi-final matches and some play-off matches of the Women's Rugby World Cup were also played at the stadium.
A 3G artificial playing surface was installed ahead of the 2023-24 season,[9] in place of the original grass pitch.[10]
American Football
In 1942, Ravenhill was the scene of the first game of American football ever played on the island of Ireland, played between teams representing service and artillery units of the United States Army stationed in Northern Ireland during World War II before an audience of more than 8000.[11][12][13]
East Terrace and Premium Stand post 2009 renovationsEast terrace and Premium Stand post 2009 renovationsRavenhill post both redevelopments during a 2015 Heineken cup match
The new stand at Ravenhill was officially opened on 9 October 2009 by First Minister Peter Robinson,[16] before a match between Ulster and Bath Rugby.[17] The stand has however been in use since the first home match of the 2009–2010 season, against Edinburgh Rugby.[18]
The stand is on the Mount Merrion side of the ground, and consists of a terraced area, over 500 premium seats, and 20 corporate boxes.[16] The terraced area is now covered by a roof for the first time in the stadium's history. The cost of the project is approximately £4.5 million, and has been funded by a mixture of public-sector funding, sales of premium tickets and boxes, and loans from the IRFU.[19]
2012–2014 Redevelopment
In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland. Ulster Rugby received £14.5m, which was used to redevelop Ravenhill and expand its capacity from 12,000 to 18,000.[20]
In 2012, Ulster Rugby confirmed that three new stands would be built at Ravenhill, with work commencing in late 2012. Two new stands at the Memorial and Aquinas ends of the stadium were completed while the main stand was demolished and rebuilt. The major refurbishment was completed in April 2014.[21]
Sponsorship
On 5 June 2014, Ulster signed a 10-year contract with the Kingspan Group for the naming rights to Ravenhill, meaning that the stadium would be known as the Kingspan Stadium until 2024.[22] As the sponsorship deal approached its end, Kingspan agreed to extend it for a further year to allow Ulster time to find a new sponsor.[23] In July 2025, Ulster signed a new stadium naming rights deal with healthcare provider Affidea.[24]
•Match figures inclusive of both Celtic League and Celtic Cup fixtures.
*Match figures inclusive of both Pro14 League fixtures and a European Champions Cup playoff fixture.
‡Match figures include fixtures in which COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance, but exclude fixtures in which no spectators were allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
†Only matches in which there was a reported attendance are included.
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