Coburg City Oval
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coburg City Oval (also currently known as Piranha Park due to naming rights)[3] is an Australian rules football and cricket stadium located in Coburg, Australia. It is home to the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football League, and the Coburg Cricket Club.
Piranha Park | |
Location | Cnr Bell & Russell Sts, Coburg, Victoria |
---|---|
Coordinates | 37°44′37″S 144°58′6″E |
Owner | City of Merri-bek |
Capacity | 12,000 (430 seated)[1] |
Record attendance | 21,626 (26 June 1965)[2] |
Field size | 165×140m |
Surface | Grass |
Opened | 1915 |
Tenants | |
Coburg Football Club (VFA/VFL) West Coburg Football Club (EDFL) Coburg Cricket Club (VSDCA) North Melbourne Football Club (VFL, 1965) Murray Kangaroos (VFL, 2000–2002) |
The oval was officially opened in 1915.[4] Following the Coburg Football Club's admission to the Victorian Football Association in 1925, the grandstand was constructed, and was officially opened in March 1926.[5] In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the venue was one of the VFA's finals venues, and it hosted the final in 1932.[6] It later hosted the 1967 Division 2 finals series.[7]
In 1965, the VFL's North Melbourne Football Club moved its playing and training base from the Arden Street Oval to Coburg City Oval.[8] The move was intended to be permanent, with some initial negotiations seeking long-term leases for up to 40 years,[9] but it was ultimately cancelled after only eight months, and North Melbourne returned to the Arden Street Oval in 1966.[10][11]
During the 1965 VFL season, Coburg City Oval attracted an average of 13,146 spectators to its nine games. A ground record was set in round 10 against Collingwood, with a total attendance of 21,626.[2] The ground's current capacity is around 15,000.[1]
The oval is open to the citizens of Merri-bek and all others. The oval sits inside the wider G. A. Bridges Reserve, which includes a leisure centre, a bowls club and a former trugo club.[4]
In 2018, following the efforts of the Coburg Football Club, and local residents the State Government of Victoria along with the City of Moreland announced a joint $6million investment into the redevelopment of the oval's grandstand and changerooms, set to commence in 2020[12] with further funding to be announced by both the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia. Once completed, the venue will once again be a modern and Female friendly football and cricket facility. Once locked away from the citizens of Coburg, City Oval is now a true Peoples Ground.