Concord Oval

Concord Oval showing the eastern grandstand

Concord Oval (also Waratah Stadium) is a rugby stadium in Concord, Australia. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and was used for eight matches during the 1987 Rugby World Cup. The stadium is able to hold 20,000 people and opened in 1985.

The stadium has two opposing grandstands. The eastern stand hosts the tennis box-style seats, television gantry and the change rooms. The stand runs approximately from try-line to try-line. The western stand contains a gym and some boxes. This stand runs approximately from dead-ball line to dead ball line. In front of the western stand are two rows of seats, while a concrete path runs around the field (except not in front of the aforementioned two rows of seats, the path runs behind those seats). At each end there is a grassy hill, and at the southern or Parramatta Road end, there is a wooden, manually operated scoreboard with an analogue clock. The stadium is bordered by Gipps Street to the north, Parramatta Road to the south, Loftus Street to the west and the Cintra Hockey Centre to the east. Parking is at a premium with small carparks behind the northern hill, eastern stand and in the south-east corner, although Burwood train station is not too far away, and the 439, L39, 464 and 466 bus routes pass close to the stadium. With the completion of the Sydney Football Stadium, and later Stadium Australia, the New South Wales Waratahs and Australian Wallabies have not played at the stadium in many years, and a return is unlikely, especially considering how expansion is almost impossible due to housing to the west, roads to the north and south, and a hockey complex and canal to the east. Other issues are that the stadium does not have floodlights, a video screen, parking or modern spectator amenities.

Concord Oval remains the home ground of West Harbour RFC, and is also the training and administration base for the Wests Tigers. The stadium also hosted four first grade rugby league matches, three of them in 1994 as Canterbury's second home ground during that season. However, as far as high-profile events go, the stadium lies dormant in the heart of the inner west of Sydney, and will likely remain that way.

External links

• Concord Oval at Austadiums

References

• Rleague.com - Concord Oval [1].

Coordinates: 33°52′6″S 151°6′34″E / 33.86833°S 151.10944°E / -33.86833; 151.10944