Bellerive Oval

Bellerive Oval, known for sponsorship reasons as the Ninja Stadium, is a cricket oval and Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania. Capable of accommodating 20,000 people, it is the second largest stadium in Tasmania by seating capacity, behind York Park which can hold 21,000. It is the only venue in Tasmania which hosts international cricket matches.

Ninja Stadium

North Melbourne vs Geelong AFL match, 2022
Former names	Bellerive Oval Blundstone Arena
Address	15 Derwent Street
Location	Bellerive, Tasmania
Coordinates	42°52′38″S 147°22′25″E
Owner	Cricket Tasmania
Operator	Cricket Tasmania
Capacity	20,000
Field size	160 m × 124 m (525 ft × 407 ft)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	1913
Opened	1914
Construction cost	Unknown
Architect	Various
Tenants
Australia national cricket team (Cricket) Tasmanian Tigers (Cricket) Clarence Football Club (TSL) Hobart Hurricanes (BBL) Hobart Hurricanes (WBBL) North Melbourne Football Club (AFL) Tasmania Football Club (AFL AFLW VFL & VFLW) North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos (AFLW) Tasmanian Devils (VFL) (2003-2008) Tasmania Devils (NAB League)
Website
www.belleriveoval.com.au
Blundstone Arena
Ground information
End names
Church Street End River End
International information
First Test	16–20 December 1989: Australia v Sri Lanka
Last Test	14–16 January 2022: Australia v England
First ODI	12 January 1988: New Zealand v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	11 November 2018: Australia v South Africa
First T20I	21 February 2010: Australia v West Indies
Last T20I	9 February 2024: Australia v West Indies
First WODI	17 January 1991: Australia v New Zealand
Last WODI	7 February 2016: Australia v India
First WT20I	21 February 2010: Australia v New Zealand
Last WT20I	30 January 2024: Australia v South Africa
As of 9 February 2024 Source: Cricinfo

The venue is the home ground for the state cricket teams, the Tasmanian Tigers and Hobart Hurricanes, as well as a venue for international Test matches since 1989 and one-day matches since 1988. It is also the secondary home ground for AFL club North Melbourne, who play three home games a season at the venue. The stadium has undergone significant redevelopment to accommodate such events.

History

Front gate in 2022

Bellerive Oval with lights on in 2011

Football and cricket first started being played in the area where Bellerive Oval is now in the mid-to-late 19th century. In 1884 the first football match on record from the area was played between Carlton and Bellerive. In 1913 the piece of land located between Bellerive Beach, Church and Derwent streets was sold to the Clarence Council. One year later, the new Bellerive recreation ground was ready for use.

The ground barely changed from then until the mid-1980s. During this time the ground had a hump in the centre of the ground making only the top half of players visible from the other side of the ground. There was a shed for players located where the main pavilion now stands. There was a hill on the outer (where the hill now is) that could accommodate two rows of vehicles, the small scoreboard stood on the outer close to where the electronic scoreboard is now, and the time clock sat about halfway up a training light tower. The police booth sat, until very recently, in the north-east corner of the oval. A concrete cricket pitch served for local junior teams until the 1956/57 season, when it was replaced by a turf wicket.

In 1948 The Clarence Football Club, a tenant of the ground, applied to join the Tasmanian Football League, and the ground had to upgrade to TFL standards.

Some minor upgrades were made in the 1960s, clubrooms were built in 1961, and in 1963 a small grandstand (seating about 500) and a new public address system were installed.

In 1977, Tasmania gained admission into the Sheffield Shield and a plan was put in place by the TCA to move from its headquarters at the TCA Ground on the Domain to a new oval. Bellerive Oval was chosen ahead of KGV Oval and North Hobart Oval. $2.2 million was spent building new grandstands, training nets, a hill, new surface and centre wicket, the old TCA Ground scoreboard was relocated there, and the masterpiece—the three-level Members' Pavilion was constructed.

The newly refurbished ground was opened in 1986 for a TFL Statewide League roster match between Clarence and Hobart, which was won by Clarence before a crowd of 3,562. Significant damage to the newly laid turf resulted in the scheduling of no more football matches for that season.

The move was made in 1987 under TCA Chairman Denis Rogers, in time for its first international match—between Sri Lanka and New Zealand—on 12 January 1988, before a crowd of 6,500.

The first Test match in Tasmania was played at Bellerive from 16 to 20 December 1989, between Australia and Sri Lanka. Shortly afterwards, the new electronic scoreboard and Northern Stand were erected.

In 2007, the venue saw the Tasmanian Tigers win the state's first Sheffield Shield, and in 2008 the ground hosted its first One-Day Cup final, also won by Tasmania.

The oval became the first top-class cricket facility in Australia to sign a naming-rights sponsor in October 2011. A naming rights agreement with Blundstone Footwear resulted in the oval being renamed Blundstone Arena, which was temporarily discontinued during the ground's use in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

In 2023, Bellerive Oval saw further updates, particularly focused on improving accessibility and sustainability. The oval adopted several eco-friendly initiatives, including solar panels on the roofs of both the Ricky Ponting Stand and David Boon Stand, reducing its carbon footprint by 20%. These sustainability efforts are part of a broader push by Cricket Tasmania to modernise its venues and reduce environmental impact during large-scale events.

In October 2024, SharkNinja commenced a four-year naming rights deal with the oval renamed the Ninja Stadium.

Capacity

Following the completion of the Ricky Ponting Stand in 2015, the stadium’s capacity officially reached 20,000, although temporary seating arrangements during high-demand events such as Big Bash League (BBL) finals and AFL matches have allowed attendance to occasionally exceed this number, with a record of 20,200 set during a Hobart Hurricanes semi-final match in 2023.

Women's sport expansion

Bellerive Oval has played an increasing role in women’s cricket and AFL, hosting several prominent matches for both the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and AFLW. In 2023, the oval hosted the WBBL final, attracting 14,500 spectators, the highest ever attendance for a women’s match at the venue. The growth of women's sport in Tasmania has been highlighted by this venue's importance, particularly with investments into better training facilities for female athletes, such as a dedicated gym and locker room area built in 2022.

Controversies

Despite its continued development, Bellerive Oval has not been without controversy. Local residents have increasingly voiced concerns about the impact of larger crowds on the surrounding areas. Parking and traffic remain contentious issues, with local government proposals in 2024 to develop additional parking structures being met with opposition from environmental groups, who argue the new developments will encroach on parkland areas.

Structures and facilities

Members' Stand in 2009

In 1999, the Federal Government announced that it would contribute $5 million to upgrade Bellerive. The TCA added $10 million, on loan from the state government, and the Clarence City Council $1 million, enabling a $16 million upgrade. The first part of this upgrade was the state-of-the-art indoor nets. The 6,000-seat Southern Stand came next, which blocked winds and views of the Derwent, and contained the new media centre. The new Members' Area was the last of the upgrades, along with new perimeter fence and entry gates. The Members' Area features press and radio media areas, corporate boxes and lunchrooms, as well as the players areas, members' bars and TCA offices. The redevelopment was officially opened on 11 January 2003, when an overcrowd of 16,719 (official capacity 16,000) witnessed a thrilling one-day match between Australia and England, the victory going to Australia.

To allow for day-night matches to be played at the venue, four light towers were installed in 2009 for $4.8 million, enabling one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 cricket matches to be played there. The installation of these lights sparked significant debate from groups both for and against the new towers.

The ground was scheduled for further redevelopment by 2015, with the state government providing $15 million to expand the Southern Stand and Members' Stand, increasing the ground's capacity to over 20,000 for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, along with an Ashes Test in the future, and the possibility of locking-in a long-term commitment for AFL games. AFL Tasmania is also looking at moving its offices to the ground as part of the redevelopment. At the official launch of the renovated stadium, it was announced that the new stand would be named the Ricky Ponting Stand, and the existing Southern Stand would be named the David Boon Stand.

A panorama of Australia v New Zealand Cricket One-day International in 2007

Events

As well as being the home of domestic and international cricket and the Clarence Football Club in the now Tasmanian State League, Bellerive Oval served in 2003 as a home to the Tasmanian Devils in the VFL. The first match attracted the highest VFL roster match crowd since 1986–6,970. The venue also hosted Tasmania's two finals matches, with the elimination win against Geelong (4,800) and 10,073 for a semi-final against Port Melbourne, which was won by Port Melbourne.

North Melbourne

In 2010, talk of Melbourne-based Australian Football League (AFL) clubs shifting home games to Bellerive Oval surfaced. Richmond were considered the early front-runners, but by July 2010 North Melbourne became the most likely candidate, given their willingness to move more than just two matches.

On 7 June 2011, North Melbourne announced a new three-year deal in partnership with transport company Spirit of Tasmania, who announced its intent to sponsor North Melbourne home games in Hobart, at Bellerive Oval. From 2012 to 2014, North Melbourne played two home games per year at the venue. The first game was played 8 April 2012 in Round 2, in which North Melbourne defeated the fledgling Greater Western Sydney Giants by 129 points. The original three-year deal was renewed and extended for a further two years, with Hobart City Council and Spirit of Tasmania agreeing to provide sponsorship for North Melbourne to play three games per year at the venue in 2015 and 2016. A new deal, which did not include the council, was struck in 2016. The arrangement in effect from 2017 to 2021 allowed North Melbourne to continue playing three matches a season at Bellerive Oval, while the current arrangement, effective from 2022, sees North Melbourne play four home games a year.

Attendance records

Hill, Australia v South Africa, 2009

The record attendance for Bellerive Oval before redevelopment was 16,719 for a One Day International between Australia and England on 14 January 2003. The first international match at the venue was a One Day International between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on 12 January 1988 and attracted a then record crowd for an international in Hobart of 6,180. On 21 February 2010, a Twenty20 International match between Australia and the West Indies attracted a crowd of 15,575. This was the first international day-night cricket match played at Bellerive Oval.

The record attendance at Bellerive Oval since the addition of the Ricky Ponting stand is 18,149 during a 2015–16 BBL match between Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers on 10 January 2016. The crowd of 17,844 for an AFL game in 2016 between North Melbourne and Richmond on 3 June 2016 is the highest crowd ever at Bellerive Oval for an AFL match.

No.	Date	Teams	Sport	Competition	Crowd
1	10 January 2016	Hobart Hurricanes v. Perth Scorchers	Cricket	BBL	18,149
2	26 December 2016	Hobart Hurricanes v. Melbourne Stars	Cricket	BBL	18,079
3	8 January 2017	Hobart Hurricanes v. Sydney Thunder	Cricket	BBL	17,939
4	3 June 2016	North Melbourne v. Richmond	Australian rules football	AFL	17,844
5	9 May 2015	North Melbourne v. Richmond	Australian rules football	AFL	17,544
6	21 January 2017	Hobart Hurricanes v. Perth Scorchers	Cricket	BBL	17,445
7	1 January 2016	Hobart Hurricanes v. Sydney Thunder	Cricket	BBL	17,151
8	2 January 2017	Hobart Hurricanes v. Adelaide Strikers	Cricket	BBL	16,815
9	14 January 2003	Australia v. England	Cricket	ODI	16,719
10	20 August 2016	North Melbourne v. Sydney Swans	Australian rules football	AFL	16,495

^{Last updated on 21 December 2021. Source:}

Transport

Metro bus services are available to and from Bellerive Oval. Development into an international venue has far outgrown the capacity of local infrastructure to adequately handle the large influxes of patrons attempting to access the venue. In particular, there is little provision for spectator parking. Thus, large numbers of vehicles are parked in the surrounding streets when such events are held, resulting in access issues for local residents and need for traffic-control measures.

In 2023, a ferry service from Brooke Street Pier connecting the Hobart central business district with Bellerive Oval during major events was introduced.

In an attempt to address parking and access issues, development of the oval has encroached upon adjacent properties and in particular the Bellerive Rotary Park situated between the oval and the beach. This park is on land owned by the Clarence Council as is the adjacent oval. As the oval is an exclusive, fenced-off area and the park is an inclusive area open to all residents, many residents reject the encroachment.

See also

• List of international cricket centuries at Bellerive Oval

External links

• Official website
• Bellerive Oval at Austadiums