North Port Oval
| Port Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
 Port Melbourne Cricket Ground
 | |
| Former names | TEAC Oval |
|---|---|
| Location | Port Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°49′51″S 144°56′32″E / 37.83083°S 144.94222°ECoordinates: 37°49′51″S 144°56′32″E / 37.83083°S 144.94222°E |
| Capacity | 12,000[1] |
| Field size | 150 m × 125 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Tenants | |
| Port Melbourne Cricket Club | |
North Port Oval, also known as the Port Melbourne Cricket Ground, is an Australian rules football and cricket stadium located in Port Melbourne, Australia. The capacity of the venue is 12,000 people. Home to both the Port Melbourne Cricket Club and the Port Melbourne Football Club the ground will typically host two matches in the first week of VFL finals, as well as both semi-finals and both preliminary finals.
The ground has hosted seven VFA/VFL top division Grand Finals: in 1931, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1997, 1998 and 1999. The crowd record estimated to be 32,000 witnessed the 1953 Sunday Amateur League Grand Final between Montague and Carlton;[2] the ground's highest VFA crowd of 26,000 was set at the 1964 Division 1 Grand Final between Port Melbourne and Williamstown.
On 12 November 1927 the foundation stone for the main grandstand was laid by the Mayor of the City of Port Melbourne, Cr. A.Tucker JP. In the 1970s the main grandstand was named the "Norman L Goss Stand" in his honour. On 30 May 2015 the redevelopment of the oval and facilities was officially opened by Mayor Cr. A.Stevens and Hon. Martin Foley MP (Member for Albert Park), with funding from City of Port Phillip, Port Melbourne Football Club, the AFL, AFL Victoria, and Victorian Government. The ground is now also home to the Sandridge Events Centre, located at the Woodriff St end of the ground.
In 2014, the ends of the ground were renamed to honour of the Port Melbourne Football Club's two champion goalkickers, Fred Cook (1228 goals) and Bob Bonnett (933 goals). The Woodruff St end is known as the Fred Cook End and the Williamstown Rd end is known as the Bob Bonnett end.[3]
The ground was also one of the key venues for both the 2002 and 2005 Australian Football International Cups.
References
- ↑ "North Port Oval". austadiums.com. Austadiums. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ↑ Marc Fiddian (2003), The Best of Football Trivia, Hastings, VIC: Galaxy Print and Design, p. 115
- ↑ "Bonnett & Cook ends at North Port Oval". Sportingpulse. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.