Bellerive Oval
Blundstone Arena | |
Tasmania Devils (NAB League) | |
Website | |
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www | |
Blundstone Arena | |
Ground information | |
End names | |
Church Street End River End | |
International information | |
First Test | 16–20 December 1989: Australia v Sri Lanka |
Last Test | 14–16 January 2022: Australia v England |
First ODI | 12 January 1988: New Zealand v Sri Lanka |
Last ODI | 11 November 2018: Australia v South Africa |
First T20I | 21 February 2010: Australia v West Indies |
Last T20I | 9 February 2024: Australia v West Indies |
First WODI | 17 January 1991: Australia v New Zealand |
Last WODI | 7 February 2016: Australia v India |
First WT20I | 21 February 2010: Australia v New Zealand |
Last WT20I | 30 January 2024: Australia v South Africa |
As of 9 February 2024 Source: Cricinfo |
Bellerive Oval (also known as Blundstone Arena under naming rights) is a cricket and an Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Australia. Holding 20,000 people, it is the largest capacity stadium in Tasmania. It is the only venue in Tasmania which hosts international cricket matches.
The venue is the home ground for the state cricket teams, the
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2016) |
This section may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (December 2021) |
Football and cricket first started being played in the area where Bellerive Oval is now in the mid-to-late 19th century. In 1884 the first football match on record from the area was played between Carlton and Bellerive. In 1913 the piece of land located between
The ground barely changed from then until the mid-1980s. During this time the ground had a hump in the centre of the ground making only the top half of players visible from the other side of the ground. There was a shed for players located where the main pavilion now stands. There was a hill on the outer (where the hill now is) that could accommodate two rows of vehicles, the small scoreboard stood on the outer close to where the electronic scoreboard is now, and the time clock sat about halfway up a training light tower. The police booth sat, until very recently,[when?] in the north-east corner of the oval. A concrete cricket pitch served for local junior teams until the 1956/57 season, when it was replaced by a turf wicket.[citation needed]
In 1948 The Clarence Football Club, a tenant of the ground, applied to join the Tasmanian Football League, and the ground had to upgrade to TFL standards.[citation needed]
Some minor upgrades were made in the 1960s, clubrooms were built in 1961, and in 1963 a small grandstand (seating about 500) and a new PA system were installed.[citation needed]
TCA moves to Bellerive
In 1977, Tasmania gained admission into the Sheffield Shield and a plan was put in place by the TCA to move from its headquarters at the TCA Ground on the Domain to a new oval. Bellerive Oval was chosen ahead of KGV Oval and North Hobart Oval. $2,200,000 was spent building new grandstands, training nets, a hill, new surface and centre wicket, the old TCA Ground scoreboard was relocated there, and the masterpiece—the three-level Members' Pavilion was constructed.[citation needed]
The newly refurbished ground was opened in 1986 for a TFL Statewide League roster match between Clarence and Hobart, which was won by Clarence before a crowd of 3,562. Significant damage to the newly laid turf resulted in the scheduling of no more football matches for that season.[citation needed]
The move was made in 1987 under TCA Chairman Denis Rogers, in time for its first international match—between
The first Test match in Tasmania was played at Bellerive from 16 to 20 December 1989, between
In 2007, the venue saw the
The oval became the first top-class cricket facility in Australia to sign a naming-rights sponsor in October 2011. An agreement with Blundstone Footwear attached the name "Blundstone Arena",[6] which was temporarily discontinued during the ground's use in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.[7]
Structures and facilities
In 1999, the Federal Government announced that it would contribute $5 million to upgrade Bellerive. The TCA added $10 million, on loan from the state government, and the Clarence City Council $1 million, enabling a $16 million upgrade. The first part of this upgrade was the state-of-the-art indoor nets. The 6,000-seat Southern Stand came next, which blocked winds and views of the Derwent, and contained the new media centre. The new Members' Area was the last of the upgrades, along with new
To allow for
The ground was scheduled for further redevelopment by 2015, with the state government providing $15 million to expand the Southern Stand and Members' Stand, increasing the ground's capacity to over 20,000 for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, along with an Ashes Test in the future, and the possibility of locking-in a long-term commitment for AFL games. AFL Tasmania is also looking at moving its offices to the ground as part of the redevelopment.[11] At the official launch of the renovated stadium, it was announced that the new stand would be named the Ricky Ponting Stand, and the existing Southern Stand would be named the David Boon Stand.[12]
Events
As well as being the home of domestic and international cricket and the
North Melbourne
In 2010, talk of Melbourne-based Australian Football League (AFL) clubs shifting home games to Bellerive Oval surfaced.[13] Richmond were considered the early front-runners, but by July 2010 North Melbourne became the most likely candidate, given their willingness to move more than just two matches.[14]
On 7 June 2011, the North Melbourne Football Club announced a new three-year deal in partnership with transport company
Attendance records
The record attendance for Bellerive Oval before redevelopment was 16,719 for a
The record attendance at Bellerive Oval since the addition of the Ricky Ponting stand is 18,149 during a
No. | Date | Teams | Sport | Competition | Crowd |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 January 2016 | Hobart Hurricanes v. Perth Scorchers | Cricket | BBL | 18,149 |
2 | 26 December 2016 | Hobart Hurricanes v. Melbourne Stars | Cricket | BBL | 18,079 |
3 | 8 January 2017 | Hobart Hurricanes v. Sydney Thunder | Cricket | BBL | 17,939 |
4 | 3 June 2016 | North Melbourne v. Richmond | Australian rules football | AFL | 17,844 |
5 | 9 May 2015 | North Melbourne v. Richmond | Australian rules football | AFL | 17,544[22] |
6 | 21 January 2017 | Hobart Hurricanes v. Perth Scorchers | Cricket | BBL | 17,445 |
7 | 1 January 2016 | Hobart Hurricanes v. Sydney Thunder | Cricket | BBL | 17,151 |
8 | 2 January 2017 | Hobart Hurricanes v. Adelaide Strikers | Cricket | BBL | 16,815 |
9 | 14 January 2003 | Australia v. England | Cricket | ODI | 16,719 |
10 | 20 August 2016 | North Melbourne v. Sydney Swans | Australian rules football | AFL | 16,495 |
Last updated on 21 December 2021. Source:[23]
Transport
Metro buses are available to and from Bellerive Oval and there are also ferry services from Hobart City to Bellerive Wharf. Development into an international venue has far outgrown the capacity of local infrastructure to adequately handle the large influxes of patrons attempting to access the venue. In particular, there is little provision for spectator parking. Thus, large numbers of vehicles are parked in the surrounding streets when such events are held, resulting in access issues for local residents and need for traffic-control measures.
Local controversy
In an attempt to address parking and access issues, development of the Oval has encroached upon adjacent properties and in particular the Bellerive Rotary Park situated between the Oval and the beach.[24] This park is on land owned by the Clarence Council as is the adjacent Oval. As the Oval is an exclusive, fenced-off area and the park is an inclusive area open to all residents, many residents reject the encroachment.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "The Venue". Blundstone Arena. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Atkinson, Cody; Lawson, Sean. "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.
- ^ Sri Lanka v New Zealand Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 12 January 1987/88 (2006) Cricinfo Archived 12 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Cricinfo(2006)
- Cricinfo(2006)
- ^ "Welcome to Blundstone Arena". Fox Sports (Australia). 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- Hobart Mercury, 8 March 2015. Accessed 7 February 2016
- ^ "Cricket lights up at Bellerive". The Mercury. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
- ^ "Bellerive Oval lights debate sparks online petition". ABC News. 26 October 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- ^ "Locals pull up stumps over lights". Australia. 19 October 2009.
- ^ "Drive for $21m Oval upgrade". The Mercury. 18 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013.
- ^ Stubbs, Brett (21 January 2015). "Tasmanian cricket greats Ponting and Boon make eternal stand at Blundstone Arena". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Home games in Hobart: three Victorian clubs are interested Archived 6 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Age, Retrieved on 29 July 2010.
- ^ DiFabrizio, Michael Don't knock North for looking at Hobart Archived 1 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Roar, Retrieved on 29 July 2010.
- ^ AFL sponsor revealed Archived 7 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Mercury, Retrieved on 7 June 2011.
- ^ "North Melbourne thrilled with new five-year deal to play AFL games in Hobart". Herald Sun. 3 June 2016.
- ^ "North's new Tasmania deal announced". nmfc.com.au. 3 July 2016.
- ^ "Kangaroos kicking goals in Tasmania in 2022". North Melbourne Football Club. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ "Bellerive Oval Crowds". Australian Stadiums. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ^ "NEW ZEALAND v SRI LANKA 1987–88". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ^ WOW!!! The BIGGEST EVER crowd for a cricket match @BlundstoneArena Archived 9 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine twitter.com/HurricanesBBL. Retrieved on 1 January 2016
- ^ Roos claim record crowd Archived 21 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine NMFC.com.au
- ^ "Blundstone Arena Crowds (Bellerive Oval) | Austadiums". www.austadiums.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "The Mercury". themercury.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.