Manuka Oval
Stadium in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
35°19′5″S 149°08′5″E / 35.31806°S 149.13472°E / -35.31806; 149.13472
13,550 (seated)[2]
12,000 (cricket)[3]
List
-
- Australian Football League
- GWS Giants (2012–present)
- Melbourne FC (2007–09)
- North Melbourne FC (1998, 2001–06)
- Western Bulldogs (2007–11)
- Cricket
- ACT Comets (1997–2000)
- ACT Meteors (2009–present)
- Australian national cricket team (2013–present)
- Australian women's national cricket team (1988, 2008–09, 2011, 2016–present)
- Sydney Thunder (BBL; 2018–present)
- Sydney Thunder (WBBL; 2018–present)
- National Rugby League
- Canberra Raiders (2001)
Manuka End
Australia v 
Sri Lanka
South Africa v 
Zimbabwe Australia v 
West Indies Australia v 
Pakistan Australia v 
England Australia v England Australia v 
New Zealand Australia v England Australia v England Australia v 
South AfricaSource: Cricinfo
Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating capacity of 13,550 people and an overall capacity of 16,000 people, although this is lower for some sports depending on the configuration used.[1][2] The area on which the ground is situated has been used for sport since the early 20th century, but was only enclosed in 1929. It has since undergone several redevelopments, most recently beginning in 2011.
Currently, Manuka Oval is primarily used for cricket (during the summer months) and Australian rules football (during the winter months). The ground was previously also used for rugby league and rugby union matches, but there are now more suitable venues in Canberra for those sports. As a cricket ground, Manuka Oval is the home venue for the ACT Comets (men's) and the ACT Meteors (women's) teams, and has also hosted a number of international matches, including at the 1992 and 2015 World Cups. As an Australian rules football ground, Manuka Oval's primary tenant is the Eastlake Football Club, which plays in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL). Australian Football League (AFL) games are played at the ground on a semi-regular basis. The Greater Western Sydney Giants have used the oval as a secondary home ground since the club entered the AFL in 2012 and AFL Women's in 2017. Other AFL clubs had previously hosted games at the venue, most notably the North Melbourne Football Club from 1998 to 2006.
History
The oval was originally a park officially known as "Manuka Circle Park", however by the end of the 1920s it was known as Manuka Oval. The park and nearby shopping centre were named after the Leptospermum scoparium's Māori name, Manuka. There was a push for the park to become an enclosed oval starting in 1926 by various sports groups.[6] Work began on Manuka Oval to erect a fence, along with other improvements made in 1929. The field had previously been used to casually play rugby league and Australian rules football. The first cricket pitch was played on in April 1930. The Bradman Pavilion, the oval's main stand, was constructed in 1962 in honour of Sir Donald Bradman. The Robert Menzies Stand and the Bob Hawke Stand were constructed in 1987 and 1992 respectively and were named after the first two Australian Prime Ministers to bring international cricket teams to Canberra to play against the Prime Minister's XI.[7] In 2004, Manuka Oval celebrated the 75th anniversary of its formal establishment.
Manuka Oval had a $4.3million upgrade starting from the second half of 2011, which included 4,300 additional temporary seats for the venue, new media and corporate facilities, upgrades to the Hawke and Bradman stands' covering and upgrades to entry facilities.[8][9] Floodlights were installed at the ground in late 2012 to allow sport to be played at the venue at night, and were first used on 29 January 2013 for a day-night cricket match between the West Indies and the Prime Minister's XI.[10]
The AFL, through a private consortium, made an $800 million bid to upgrade the precinct in 2018 and expand the seating capacity by 4,750 with covered areas, however the ACT government rejected the proposal.[11][12]
