Victoria Park, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
Victoria Park is a sports venue
in Abbotsford
a suburb of Melbourne
in Victoria, Australia. Built for the purpose of both Australian rules football
and cricket
, the stadium is oval shaped.
Victoria Park stadium is historically notable as a former Victorian Football League
(now Australian Football League) venue between 1892 and 1999 and headquarters of the Collingwood Football Club
for 107 years from until 2005, the longest association between a club and stadium in Australian rules football history. It was also a temporary home ground for the Fitzroy Football Club
for the 1985 and 1986 seasons. The ground is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
and is of state heritage significance.
At its peak, Victoria Park was the third largest of the suburban VFL stadiums after the Melbourne Cricket Ground
and Princes Park. However it was abandoned due to it facilities not meeting the requirements of the competition's national expansion and was to be demolished after it closed in 1999 prevented only by heritage status.
Yarra City Council is currently undertaking a major redevelopment of Victoria Park, to transform the park in to an open and welcoming space for the enjoyment of the community. At least $7.2 million is being spent on the redevelopment, with the Australian Government having committed $3.5 million and Yarra Council spending at least $3.7 million on the works over several years. The redevelopment is on track to be completed by late 2011. Up-to-date information on the progress of works at Victoria Park can be found on the Yarra City Council website.
The first major stand was completed midway through the 1892 season and it was not long before the club was back at the town hall asking the council to fund the construction of further facilities to accommodate the enormous following the club generated. In 1900 the Ladies Stand was constructed and in 1909 architect Thomas Watt
designed the Member's Stand. The Ladies Stand on the grounds north side, along Abbott Street, was pulled down in 1929 to make way for the Jack Ryder
Stand. This grandstand would provide state of the art facilities for players of both the Collingwood Football and Cricket Clubs and also seated approximately 3,000 supporters. The Ryder Stand was designed by architects Peck and Kemter. The steel-framed concrete stand with cantilevered roof was named after cricketer Jack Ryder.
By the end of the 1929 season Collingwood had completed the third premiership of the record breaking four in a row. The team was perceived to be invincible at Victoria Park and all rival clubs dreaded traveling there. This was in stark contrast to the prevailing economic conditions as the suburb was one the hardest hit by the Great Depression
.
For many in the area, to see the Magpies win at Victoria Park was the only relief from melancholy of daily life on the unemployment queue. The football club offered sustenance workers free entry to games during this period. Victoria Park had grown to be more than just a sporting arena and was now a beacon of hope in a very bleak world.
In 1953 Collingwood won its first football premiership since 1936. With this success as a springboard, Collingwood secretary, Gordon Carlyon, started negotiations with the Collingwood council to provide for further improvements to the ground. The maximum seven year leases granted by local governments did not give the football club enough security of tenure to proceed with the grand plans that were being laid down. Carlyon was unsuccessful on several approaches to council until a technicality was found in the Local Council's Act. Clause 237 allowed Collingwood to take a long term lease over the ground provided the Club agreed to provide for major improvements to the site. Carlyon first approached the council in 1955, but they voted 14 to 1 against the proposal. The following year Carlyon sharpened his approach and took a new even better plan to the council and once again the council voted 8 to 7 against. Carlyon asked one of the dissenting councilors why he voted against the proposal and was surprised to discover that seven of the eight councilors were concerned that they would lose their free entry to Collingwood home games if the football club took control of the ground. Within weeks Carlyon returned to the Council with the very same proposal and a handful of Social Club memberships which truned the vote 14 to 1 in favour and Collingwood was now setup with control of its own home ground under 1996.
Stand, was the first to be completed. It was opened in 1959 by the state governor, Sir Dallas Brooks
. The next stand to go up was the R.T. Rush stand in 1966, named after former player and club administrator Bob Rush
. This allowed fans to have a significantly better view than the old open concrete terrace and hill. The facilities at Victoria Park now rivaled that of the MCG
. The old Member’s Stand was pulled down to make way for the Sherrin stand in 1969. Only two thirds were completed and the final third was finished in 1978.
In 1985, Fitzroy
moved to Victoria Park amongst a string of moves from one ground to another. Fitzroy stayed for two seasons without much financial success before moving back to Princes Park.
Right up to the late 1980s work continued to upgrade and modernize the facilities at the ground and the plans were laid down to create further covered seated areas for patrons as pressure was placed on the club by the new nationally-based competition
to abandon the ground and relocate to the MCG. Local residents objected to the new plans. The club secured approval from the council, but after the election that followed the new councilors retracted that support and would not allow the club to continue work on the development of the site.
was played. It was against the new Brisbane Lions
, a product of the new AFL that necessitated the merger between the Fitzroy Lions
and the Brisbane Bears
. Collingwood lost by 42 points and finished on the bottom of the ladder for just the second time in their history. The last VFL match of the era was played the following year in 2000 when Collingwood lost to Williamstown.
matches. The ground was also used for some of the pre-season matches prior to the 2004 AFL season
. The ground is still considered to be the club's spiritual home. Collingwood moved its training facilities from Victoria Park to the purpose built Westpac Centre, Melbourne (formally Lexus Centre) at the Olympic Park Complex in 2004.
Plans for the ground to be demolished following Collingwood's move away from the ground have become drawn out over a number of years because the ground is protected under the Victorian Heritage Register
because of its cultural heritage significance at state level. Plans for demolition and reconstruction on the site have said that the oval will remain even if the stands do not.
In 2009, the City of Yarra
council voted to allow Collingwood's VFL
team to recommence matches at Victoria Park. The team will play nine home games at the ground in 2010.
Collingwood did not bring the cup to Victoria Park for any celebrations after their 2010 win, instead using Gosch's paddock, a place they have only trained at for a few years, despite Collingwood's long history and heritage with Victoria Park. This, naturally caused anger with fans
The works are expected to be completed in December 2011. For up-to-date information about the transformation of Victoria Park, please visit Yarra City Council's website.
. Whist there were no large display device
s set up at the ground during its existence, one was set up via crane
for the final game.
The ground is made up of several stands:
Part of the ground did not have a stand in place, just grass. This was for standing room. No lighting for the playing field was built and therefore the venue did not host night game once they were introduced. Some lights were installed for darker day games to support the player's vision. Entry into the ground was by manned turnstile
and could be made from all stands.
Victoria Park's current capacity is listed as 27,000. The ground record crowd for the oval was set on 26 April 1948
when 47,000 turned out to see Collingwood defeat South Melbourne
by 53 points.
about 200 metres from the ground, situated on the Hurstbridge and Epping lines.
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 Abbotsford
Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....
a suburb of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in Victoria, Australia. Built for the purpose of both Australian rules football
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...
and 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...
, the stadium is oval shaped.
Victoria Park stadium is historically notable as a former Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(now Australian Football League) venue between 1892 and 1999 and headquarters of the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
for 107 years from until 2005, the longest association between a club and stadium in Australian rules football history. It was also a temporary home ground for the Fitzroy Football Club
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
for the 1985 and 1986 seasons. The ground is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
and is of state heritage significance.
At its peak, Victoria Park was the third largest of the suburban VFL stadiums after the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
and Princes Park. However it was abandoned due to it facilities not meeting the requirements of the competition's national expansion and was to be demolished after it closed in 1999 prevented only by heritage status.
Yarra City Council is currently undertaking a major redevelopment of Victoria Park, to transform the park in to an open and welcoming space for the enjoyment of the community. At least $7.2 million is being spent on the redevelopment, with the Australian Government having committed $3.5 million and Yarra Council spending at least $3.7 million on the works over several years. The redevelopment is on track to be completed by late 2011. Up-to-date information on the progress of works at Victoria Park can be found on the Yarra City Council website.
Collingwood and Victoria Park
The first game at Victoria Park was witnessed by an estimated 16,000 spectators and although Collingwood lost, it signaled the amazing popularity and drawing power of the Collingwood Football Club and Victoria Park.The first major stand was completed midway through the 1892 season and it was not long before the club was back at the town hall asking the council to fund the construction of further facilities to accommodate the enormous following the club generated. In 1900 the Ladies Stand was constructed and in 1909 architect Thomas Watt
Thomas Watt
Thomas Watt may refer to:*Thomas Watt, prosecution witness*Tom Watt, Canadian pro scout*Tom Watt *Tommy Watt, Scottish jazz bandleader-See also:*Thomas Watts *Thomas Watt Gregory*Thomas Watt Hamilton...
designed the Member's Stand. The Ladies Stand on the grounds north side, along Abbott Street, was pulled down in 1929 to make way for the Jack Ryder
Jack Ryder (cricket)
John "Jack" Ryder was a cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.Born in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, Ryder was known as the "King of Collingwood" for his long association with the local cricket team...
Stand. This grandstand would provide state of the art facilities for players of both the Collingwood Football and Cricket Clubs and also seated approximately 3,000 supporters. The Ryder Stand was designed by architects Peck and Kemter. The steel-framed concrete stand with cantilevered roof was named after cricketer Jack Ryder.
By the end of the 1929 season Collingwood had completed the third premiership of the record breaking four in a row. The team was perceived to be invincible at Victoria Park and all rival clubs dreaded traveling there. This was in stark contrast to the prevailing economic conditions as the suburb was one the hardest hit by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
For many in the area, to see the Magpies win at Victoria Park was the only relief from melancholy of daily life on the unemployment queue. The football club offered sustenance workers free entry to games during this period. Victoria Park had grown to be more than just a sporting arena and was now a beacon of hope in a very bleak world.
In 1953 Collingwood won its first football premiership since 1936. With this success as a springboard, Collingwood secretary, Gordon Carlyon, started negotiations with the Collingwood council to provide for further improvements to the ground. The maximum seven year leases granted by local governments did not give the football club enough security of tenure to proceed with the grand plans that were being laid down. Carlyon was unsuccessful on several approaches to council until a technicality was found in the Local Council's Act. Clause 237 allowed Collingwood to take a long term lease over the ground provided the Club agreed to provide for major improvements to the site. Carlyon first approached the council in 1955, but they voted 14 to 1 against the proposal. The following year Carlyon sharpened his approach and took a new even better plan to the council and once again the council voted 8 to 7 against. Carlyon asked one of the dissenting councilors why he voted against the proposal and was surprised to discover that seven of the eight councilors were concerned that they would lose their free entry to Collingwood home games if the football club took control of the ground. Within weeks Carlyon returned to the Council with the very same proposal and a handful of Social Club memberships which truned the vote 14 to 1 in favour and Collingwood was now setup with control of its own home ground under 1996.
Ground improvements
The social club, now known as the Bob RoseBob Rose (footballer)
Robert "Bob" Rose was an Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL. He is widely regarded as the greatest player ever to play for Collingwood.-Playing career:...
Stand, was the first to be completed. It was opened in 1959 by the state governor, Sir Dallas Brooks
Dallas Brooks
Brooks made his first-class debut for the Royal Navy against Cambridge University in 1919 as a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium. The same season Brooks made his debut for Hampshire against Surrey in the County Championship...
. The next stand to go up was the R.T. Rush stand in 1966, named after former player and club administrator Bob Rush
Bob Rush (Australian footballer)
Robert 'Bob' Thomas Rush was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League ....
. This allowed fans to have a significantly better view than the old open concrete terrace and hill. The facilities at Victoria Park now rivaled that of the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. The old Member’s Stand was pulled down to make way for the Sherrin stand in 1969. Only two thirds were completed and the final third was finished in 1978.
In 1985, Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
moved to Victoria Park amongst a string of moves from one ground to another. Fitzroy stayed for two seasons without much financial success before moving back to Princes Park.
Right up to the late 1980s work continued to upgrade and modernize the facilities at the ground and the plans were laid down to create further covered seated areas for patrons as pressure was placed on the club by the new nationally-based competition
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
to abandon the ground and relocate to the MCG. Local residents objected to the new plans. The club secured approval from the council, but after the election that followed the new councilors retracted that support and would not allow the club to continue work on the development of the site.
Winding down
By 1994, Collingwood was playing only three games a season at the ground and in 1997 it was reduced to just two. In 1996 the cricket club moved away from the ground after a 100 year association with it. In 1999 the last match at Victoria ParkLast match at Victoria Park
The last match of VFL/AFL football played at Victoria Park was an Australian rules football match staged between Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions, in round 22 of season 1999. The match was a fizzer, the spark of the contest quickly extinguished by the Lions in the opening term, who went on to...
was played. It was against the new Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
, a product of the new AFL that necessitated the merger between the Fitzroy Lions
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
and the Brisbane Bears
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
. Collingwood lost by 42 points and finished on the bottom of the ladder for just the second time in their history. The last VFL match of the era was played the following year in 2000 when Collingwood lost to Williamstown.
Recent use
Following the move to the MCG, Collingwood has seen an increased number of spectators see their games, thanks to the much larger capacity of the stadium. Collingwood used Victoria Park for their training sessions leading into the 2002 and 2003 AFL Grand FinalAFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
matches. The ground was also used for some of the pre-season matches prior to the 2004 AFL season
2004 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St...
. The ground is still considered to be the club's spiritual home. Collingwood moved its training facilities from Victoria Park to the purpose built Westpac Centre, Melbourne (formally Lexus Centre) at the Olympic Park Complex in 2004.
Plans for the ground to be demolished following Collingwood's move away from the ground have become drawn out over a number of years because the ground is protected under the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
because of its cultural heritage significance at state level. Plans for demolition and reconstruction on the site have said that the oval will remain even if the stands do not.
In 2009, the City of Yarra
City of Yarra
The City of Yarra is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the inner eastern and northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of 19.5 square kilometres, and at the 2006 census it had a population of 69,330...
council voted to allow Collingwood's VFL
VFL
VFL can refer to:Sport* Victorian Football League, an Australian rules football league formerly known as the Victorian Football Association prior to 1996....
team to recommence matches at Victoria Park. The team will play nine home games at the ground in 2010.
Collingwood did not bring the cup to Victoria Park for any celebrations after their 2010 win, instead using Gosch's paddock, a place they have only trained at for a few years, despite Collingwood's long history and heritage with Victoria Park. This, naturally caused anger with fans
Victoria Park Redevelopment
In May 2010 Yarra City Council announced a $7.2 million upgrade of Victoria Park, to transform the park into a major community recreation space. Yarra Council is spending at least $3.7 million on the redevelopment, while the Australian Government is contributing $3.5 million. The redevelopment works will include:- Creation of two public plazas – one at the entry of Bath and Turner streets and the other at Turner and Lulie streets. This landscaping will include the planting of trees and the installation of new seating and public barbeques
- Refurbishment of the external areas of the Sherrin, Ryder and Bob Rose stands
- Removal of 40 metres of the red brick wall along Lulie Street (from the corner of Turner Street to the south end of the Sherrin Stand)
- Reducing the walls along Turner Street to 600 millimetres at the footpath (with new walls tiering up to meet the internal terracing)
- Construction of a replica ticket box, and refurbishment of an existing ticket box
- Creation of public artworks which will celebrate the park's special history
- Installation of a disability compliant ramp on the eastern end of the Ryder stand, to help provide access into the ground for people with disabilities
- Construction of a walking path around the outside of the oval, and replacement of the boundary fence around the oval.
The works are expected to be completed in December 2011. For up-to-date information about the transformation of Victoria Park, please visit Yarra City Council's website.
Structure
The interior of Victoria Park is shaped in an oval, almost a circle, to fit with the boundaries of the playing fieldPlaying field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
. Whist there were no large display device
Display device
A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form...
s set up at the ground during its existence, one was set up via crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
for the final game.
The ground is made up of several stands:
- Bob Rose StandBob Rose (footballer)Robert "Bob" Rose was an Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL. He is widely regarded as the greatest player ever to play for Collingwood.-Playing career:...
. Opened in 1959 as the S A Coventry pavilion after Club champion and then President Syd Coventry, the stand has undergone several internal and external changes to eventually become the Bob Rose Stand. This made up Collingwood's social club and administration base until 2004. Most of the spectator room was standing room only on concrete with some seats inside the social club on the second floor. Administration was on the third floor, above the social club. - R.T. Rush StandBob Rush (Australian footballer)Robert 'Bob' Thomas Rush was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League ....
. This stand made up most of one of the wings and was directly opposite the Bob Rose Stand. - Sherrin StandSherrinSherrin is a brand of football used in Australian rules football and is the official ball of the Australian Football League, designed to its official specifications...
. This area was reserved mostly for the Collingwood cheer squad and other Collingwood members. It was located behind the goals and was on the right hand side to the Bob Rose Stand. The stand was completely under cover. - Ryder Stand. This was made up of wooden seating. It was located on the left hand side of the Bob Rose Stand and opposite the R.T. Rush Stand. This stand was completely under cover.
Part of the ground did not have a stand in place, just grass. This was for standing room. No lighting for the playing field was built and therefore the venue did not host night game once they were introduced. Some lights were installed for darker day games to support the player's vision. Entry into the ground was by manned turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
and could be made from all stands.
Victoria Park's current capacity is listed as 27,000. The ground record crowd for the oval was set on 26 April 1948
1948 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1948.-Premiership season:In 1947, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
when 47,000 turned out to see Collingwood defeat South Melbourne
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
by 53 points.
Transport
The ground is located about 4 km to the northeast of the Melbourne Central Business District. The ground had limited parking space on match days which has now been locked now that the ground is unused. The ground has its own railway stationVictoria Park railway station, Melbourne
Victoria Park is a railway station on the Hurstbridge and Epping lines in Abbotsford, Melbourne, Australia. The station is elevated, is in Metcard Zone 1 and is unmanned....
about 200 metres from the ground, situated on the Hurstbridge and Epping lines.