Sydney Sports Ground
Encyclopedia
The Sydney Sports Ground was a Stadium
and Dirt track racing
venue in Sydney
, New South Wales
. The ground was located where the car park of the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) currently sits. The ground had two main grandstands and was surrounded by a grass covered hill, giving it a capacity of more than 35,000. It was demolished in 1986 to allow the building of the SFS, which opened in 1988. During its lifespan the Sports Ground hosted Rugby League
, Rugby Union
, Soccer, Motorcycle speedway
and Speedway
car racing.
, a rugby league club who played in the new South Wales Rugby League
. The Roosters played their last game at the Sports Ground on 29 June 1986 defeating North Sydney
21-14 in front of only 8,175 fans. The South Sydney Rabbitohs
club also used it as a home ground from 1928 to 1947.
The Sydney Sports Ground also hosted the 1951 NSWRL Grand Final with South Sydney easily accounting for Manly-Warringah
playing in their first ever grand final by a score of 42-14 in front of 28,505 fans, the smallest grand final crowd since 1944. The Sports Ground was used as the Sydney Cricket Ground
was in use on that day.
Soccer and rugby league were among the sports held at the ground, but soccer
teams also used the ground for major matches. It was also an important open-air boxing venue between the 1930s and 1960s. The champion Australian boxers Jack Carroll, Ron Richards and Jimmy Carruthers has memorable victories there.
From 1907 the Sydney Sports Ground was used as a Motorcycle racing
track. The track that was later to become the dirt speedway was then concrete. The concrete was removed in the 1920s and replaced by a ¼ Mile dirt track (418 yards or 382 metres) and starting on 30 October 1937 the Sports Ground was a Dirt track racing
Speedway venue hosting Solos
, Sidecars
and Speedcars
. The ground held the first ever Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
on 12 March 1938 and was won by Sydney driver Les Dillon (who was killed at the track only two months later becoming the speedway's first fatality). Between 1938 and 1953, eight Solo riders and four Speedcar drivers died as a result of accidents on the dirt track. The Sports Ground held its last speedway meeting on 25 March 1955.
England
's speedway star of the 1930s through to the early 1950s stated that the Sports Ground Track was "The best Speedway track in the World" after one of his visits to Australia to captain the English in test matches against Australians
.
The Sydney Sports Ground was one of the venues used in the 1938 British Empire Games
. The ground also hosted six matches the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship
with a highest attendance of 28,932 for the double header with Argentina defeating Cameroon
1-0 and host nation Australia holding England
to a 1-1 draw. The average attendance at the Sports Ground for the tournament was 17,270.
For many years the ground also hosted minor rugby union representative matches and the annual Sydney rugby premiership grand final. Among some of the most memorable of these games were wins by the Sydney team over more fancied visitors such as Wales and Ireland, and a 13-all draw with the New Zealand All Blacks. Sydney's 18-16 win over Wales in 1978 featured one of the most famous field goals ever kicked in Australia when winger Laurie Monaghan's long range effort sailed over the crossbar in the dying minutes to seal a legendary victory.
To raise money for Boys' Town - a Catholic home for troubled youths at Engadine, south of Sydney - the bookmaker George Nathan each Sunday organized a fund-raising carnival, with trotting, cycling and midget-car racing that packed the Sydney Sports Ground.
The 12 Speedway competitors who lost their lives at the Sports Ground are
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...
and Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
venue in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The ground was located where the car park of the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) currently sits. The ground had two main grandstands and was surrounded by a grass covered hill, giving it a capacity of more than 35,000. It was demolished in 1986 to allow the building of the SFS, which opened in 1988. During its lifespan the Sports Ground hosted Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, Soccer, Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
and Speedway
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
car racing.
History
The ground's primary use was as the home venue for Eastern SuburbsSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
, a rugby league club who played in 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...
. The Roosters played their last game at the Sports Ground on 29 June 1986 defeating North Sydney
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
21-14 in front of only 8,175 fans. The South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
club also used it as a home ground from 1928 to 1947.
The Sydney Sports Ground also hosted the 1951 NSWRL Grand Final with South Sydney easily accounting for Manly-Warringah
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
playing in their first ever grand final by a score of 42-14 in front of 28,505 fans, the smallest grand final crowd since 1944. The Sports Ground was used as the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
was in use on that day.
Soccer and rugby league were among the sports held at the ground, but soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
teams also used the ground for major matches. It was also an important open-air boxing venue between the 1930s and 1960s. The champion Australian boxers Jack Carroll, Ron Richards and Jimmy Carruthers has memorable victories there.
From 1907 the Sydney Sports Ground was used as a Motorcycle racing
Motorcycle racing
Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.-Motorcycle racing:...
track. The track that was later to become the dirt speedway was then concrete. The concrete was removed in the 1920s and replaced by a ¼ Mile dirt track (418 yards or 382 metres) and starting on 30 October 1937 the Sports Ground was a Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
Speedway venue hosting Solos
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
, Sidecars
Sidecar speedway
Sidecar Speedway is a motorcycle sport involving 4 crews of a rider and a passenger competing over 4 laps on an oval shale surface. Rules are governed by the national speedway federation and are not dissimilar to conventional speedway rules....
and Speedcars
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
. The ground held the first ever Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
The Australian Speedcar Grand Prix is an annual dirt track racing meeting held for Speedcars. The meeting has traditionally been held in Sydney but on occasions has been held on tracks in Victoria and in 2000 the race was held at Perth's Claremont Speedway, not long before the 1/3 mile Showground...
on 12 March 1938 and was won by Sydney driver Les Dillon (who was killed at the track only two months later becoming the speedway's first fatality). Between 1938 and 1953, eight Solo riders and four Speedcar drivers died as a result of accidents on the dirt track. The Sports Ground held its last speedway meeting on 25 March 1955.
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's speedway star of the 1930s through to the early 1950s stated that the Sports Ground Track was "The best Speedway track in the World" after one of his visits to Australia to captain the English in test matches against Australians
Australia national speedway team
Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...
.
The Sydney Sports Ground was one of the venues used in the 1938 British Empire Games
1938 British Empire Games
The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the Commonwealth Games being the modern-day equivalent. Held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from February 5–12, 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary...
. The ground also hosted six matches the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship
1981 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship, the third edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in Australia from 3 to 18 October 1981. The tournament took place in six venues—where a total of 32 matches were played...
with a highest attendance of 28,932 for the double header with Argentina defeating Cameroon
Cameroon national under-20 football team
-Appearances:-Honors:*African Youth Championship** Winners : 1995** Runners-up : 1981, 1993, 2009, 2011** Third Place : 1999*Jeux de la Francophonie** Third Place: 1997** Fourth Place: 2001, 2005-Squad:...
1-0 and host nation Australia holding England
England national under-20 football team
- Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:...
to a 1-1 draw. The average attendance at the Sports Ground for the tournament was 17,270.
For many years the ground also hosted minor rugby union representative matches and the annual Sydney rugby premiership grand final. Among some of the most memorable of these games were wins by the Sydney team over more fancied visitors such as Wales and Ireland, and a 13-all draw with the New Zealand All Blacks. Sydney's 18-16 win over Wales in 1978 featured one of the most famous field goals ever kicked in Australia when winger Laurie Monaghan's long range effort sailed over the crossbar in the dying minutes to seal a legendary victory.
To raise money for Boys' Town - a Catholic home for troubled youths at Engadine, south of Sydney - the bookmaker George Nathan each Sunday organized a fund-raising carnival, with trotting, cycling and midget-car racing that packed the Sydney Sports Ground.
Fatalities
In an era when death was an accepted risk of the sport, 12 competitors lost their lives while racing at the Sydney Sports Ground. In the most tragic accident, close friends off the track Norm Clay and Ray Duggan both died after crashing together in a Solo race there on 21 January 1950.The 12 Speedway competitors who lost their lives at the Sports Ground are
- Les Dillon - SpeedcarMidget car racingMidget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
(22 May 1938) - Claude Miller - Speedcar (25 April 1939)
- Len Behrmann - SoloMotorcycle speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
(1945) - Jack Daly - Speedcar (5 January 1946)
- Bob Hibbert - Solo (10 May 1946)
- Norm Gillespie - Solo (2 April 1948)
- Jack Sharpe (John Sharpe Gibson) - Solo (22 October 1948)
- Norm Clay - Solo (21 January 1950)
- Ray Duggan - Solo (21 January 1950)
- Ken Le Breton - Solo (5 January 1951)
- Bill Annabel - Speedcar (23 October 1953)
- Noel Watson - Solo (6 November 1953)
Speedway Track Records in 1952
- SoloMotorcycle speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
(1 lap rolling start): 0:16.2 - Lionel Levy (
) - Solo (1 lap clutch start): 0:18.2 - Lionel Levy ( )
- Sidecar (2 laps flying start): 37- 1/5 secs - Jack Carruthers ( )
- Sidecar (2 laps clutch start): 39- 1/5 secs - Jim Davies ( )
- SpeedcarMidget car racingMidget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
(1 lap rolling start): 16- 4/5 secs - Frank Brewer (
/
) - Speedcar (2 laps rolling start): 33- 3/5 secs - Ray Revell ( )
- Speedcar (50 laps rolling start): 16:49.0 - Beale Simmons ( )