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 | |
 The main grandstand at Coburg City Oval in 2022 following its refurbishment. | |
 | |
| Location | Cnr Bell & Russell Sts, Coburg, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°44′37″S 144°58′6″E / 37.74361°S 144.96833°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.
References
edit
- ^ a b "Coburg City Oval". austadiums.com. Austadiums. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ^ a b Coburg Oval - Attendances (1965), AFL Tables. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ Paul Amy (26 March 2014). "Old rivalries smoulder as Port takes on Coburg for the opening round of the VFL". Port Phillip Leader. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Victorian Heritage Database place details". Moreland City Council. 4 July 2014.
- ^ "New grandstand opened at Coburg". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. 29 March 1926. p. 9.
- ^ Onlooker (26 September 1932). "Association – Premiership decided". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. p. 11.
- ^ Chris de Kretser (11 September 1967). "Port shows real class". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. p. 48.
- ^ "North gets lease". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. 30 March 1965. p. 51.
- ^ "North can have a new oval". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. 3 November 1964. p. 34.
- ^ "Coburg to drop stand?". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. 28 September 1965. p. 51.
- ^ "North to quit Coburg". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. 29 September 1965. p. 52.
- ^ "Coburg City Oval set to become Iconic Premier Football Facility". AFL Victoria. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
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