Lavington Sports Ground
Encyclopedia
Lavington Sports Ground is an Australian rules football
stadium
located in Hamilton Valley, a suburb on the north-west fringe of Albury, New South Wales
, Australia
. The capacity of the venue is estimated at around 20,000. The oval is nestled in the side of a hill, with concrete terraces cut into the southern side of the oval below a grass embankment, with the grandstand and changing rooms located on the north-west flank. The venue also incorporates a 4 table cricket wicket, a velodrome
for track cycling and two netball
courts. The Lavington Panthers Sports Club licensed club is located adjacent to the ground, across Hanna Street.
The venue is the home ground for the Lavington Panthers Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football League
, and usually hosts the Ovens & Murray grand finals, which typically attract crowds of around 15,000. Up until 2006 it often hosted AFL
practice matches during the AFL preseason, however due to the inadequacy of the existing ground lighting, for now at least, the AFL prefers to schedule such fixtures in the Riverina
area at Narrandera. In 2010, AlburyCity completed a lighting upgrade costing in the order of $500K to bring the lux level to television broadcast standards.
The New South Wales Rugby League
had scheduled the City vs Country
representative game for Lavington in 2007 but the fixture was shifted to Coffs Harbour, as the existing lighting was deemed unsuitable for television. It did however host the grand final of the ARL Preseason Challenge Cup back in 1994 and 1995, and in other seasons hosted other NRL preseason trial games.
In summers the venue is used for cricket, with a turf wicket, and in this capacity serves as the home of the Lavington Panthers side in the Cricket Albury-Wodonga Provincial competition. During the 1992 Cricket World Cup
, the ground hosted the match between England and Zimbabwe, in which Zimbabwe won in a shock result. It also hosted a Sheffield Shield fixture between NSW and Victoria during the 1989/90 domestic season.
In July 2009, the facility was sold by Penrith Entertainment Group to the Albury City Council for $1.2M. Extensive refurbishments are planned.
Lavington Sports Ground has been confirmed as the host venue of the 2011 NRL City vs. Country match.
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...
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...
located in Hamilton Valley, a suburb on the north-west fringe of Albury, New South Wales
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The capacity of the venue is estimated at around 20,000. The oval is nestled in the side of a hill, with concrete terraces cut into the southern side of the oval below a grass embankment, with the grandstand and changing rooms located on the north-west flank. The venue also incorporates a 4 table cricket wicket, a velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
for track cycling and two netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
courts. The Lavington Panthers Sports Club licensed club is located adjacent to the ground, across Hanna Street.
The venue is the home ground for the Lavington Panthers Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football League
Ovens & Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football League, often referred to locally as the O&M, is a semi-professional Australian rules football league based around ten clubs in north-eastern Victoria and the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, and affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League...
, and usually hosts the Ovens & Murray grand finals, which typically attract crowds of around 15,000. Up until 2006 it often hosted AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
practice matches during the AFL preseason, however due to the inadequacy of the existing ground lighting, for now at least, the AFL prefers to schedule such fixtures in the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
area at Narrandera. In 2010, AlburyCity completed a lighting upgrade costing in the order of $500K to bring the lux level to television broadcast standards.
The New South Wales Rugby League
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
had scheduled the City vs Country
City vs Country Origin
City vs Country is an annual Australian rugby league football match that takes place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represents the Sydney metropolitan area...
representative game for Lavington in 2007 but the fixture was shifted to Coffs Harbour, as the existing lighting was deemed unsuitable for television. It did however host the grand final of the ARL Preseason Challenge Cup back in 1994 and 1995, and in other seasons hosted other NRL preseason trial games.
In summers the venue is used for cricket, with a turf wicket, and in this capacity serves as the home of the Lavington Panthers side in the Cricket Albury-Wodonga Provincial competition. During the 1992 Cricket World Cup
1992 Cricket World Cup
-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
, the ground hosted the match between England and Zimbabwe, in which Zimbabwe won in a shock result. It also hosted a Sheffield Shield fixture between NSW and Victoria during the 1989/90 domestic season.
In July 2009, the facility was sold by Penrith Entertainment Group to the Albury City Council for $1.2M. Extensive refurbishments are planned.
Lavington Sports Ground has been confirmed as the host venue of the 2011 NRL City vs. Country match.