Devonport Oval
Encyclopedia
Devonport Oval is an Australian rules football
, cricket
and athletics stadium
in Devonport
, Tasmania
.
It is the home stadium for the Devonport Football Club in the Tasmanian State League
(TSL) and for the Devonport Cricket Club in the NWTCA competition.
The oval also hosts the Devonport Athletics & Cycling Carnival each year and regularly attracts interstate competitors.
The stadium has a capacity of 13,000 people and has recently undergone upgrades for increased lighting to be used for night football matches in the TSL in 2009.
.
It has two stands, the Frank Matthews Stand is a long wooden Main Stand on the wing, a newer concrete stand with bucket seats in the pocket, a pavilion and a grass hill. The ground is tiered on one side.
After the Devonport City Council's decision to upgrade the unused Devonport Oval in 1937, a VFL practice match was played there between Collingwood and Geelong, and the redevelopment was a winner for the fans, with a crowd of more than 10,000 attending.
In 1959, Devonport's population was just under 14,000 people, in that same year an interstate Australian Football match between Tasmania and Victoria was played there and the attendance was 13,500.
The Devonport Oval hosted one One-Day International match in the 1986-1987 season between England and the West Indies. It also hosted many Tasmanian Sheffield Shield cricket matches and domestic one-day matches for Tasmania.
The ground also hosted two Tasmanian State Grand Finals and six TFL Statewide League
finals between 1988 and 2000 and hosted the NWFU
Grand Final on several occasions.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and athletics stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Devonport
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
.
It is the home stadium for the Devonport Football Club in the Tasmanian State League
Tasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
(TSL) and for the Devonport Cricket Club in the NWTCA competition.
The oval also hosts the Devonport Athletics & Cycling Carnival each year and regularly attracts interstate competitors.
The stadium has a capacity of 13,000 people and has recently undergone upgrades for increased lighting to be used for night football matches in the TSL in 2009.
History
The Devonport Oval is positioned next to Mersey Bluff in Devonport overlooking Bass StraitBass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
.
It has two stands, the Frank Matthews Stand is a long wooden Main Stand on the wing, a newer concrete stand with bucket seats in the pocket, a pavilion and a grass hill. The ground is tiered on one side.
After the Devonport City Council's decision to upgrade the unused Devonport Oval in 1937, a VFL practice match was played there between Collingwood and Geelong, and the redevelopment was a winner for the fans, with a crowd of more than 10,000 attending.
In 1959, Devonport's population was just under 14,000 people, in that same year an interstate Australian Football match between Tasmania and Victoria was played there and the attendance was 13,500.
The Devonport Oval hosted one One-Day International match in the 1986-1987 season between England and the West Indies. It also hosted many Tasmanian Sheffield Shield cricket matches and domestic one-day matches for Tasmania.
The ground also hosted two Tasmanian State Grand Finals and six TFL Statewide League
Tasmanian Football League
Tasmanian State League is the highest ranked Australian rules football league in Tasmania, Australia.The league has a long and convoluted history which dates back to its founding on 12 June 1879 Tasmanian State League (TSL) (formerly known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), Tasmanian...
finals between 1988 and 2000 and hosted the NWFU
North West Football Union
The North West Football Union was an Australian rules football competition which ran from 1910 to 1986. In its time it was one of the three main leagues in Tasmania, with the Tasmanian Football League and Northern Tasmanian Football Association representing the rest of the state...
Grand Final on several occasions.