Jock Colley Field
Parkes, New South Wales, Australia
Jock Colley Field, Parkes, Australia — opened Not confirmed as a standalone date; the wider Pioneer Oval precinct developed from 1892, with a grandstand opened in 1928 ahead of a Far West vs England rugby league match, 1 rugby league games hosted, home of Parkes Spacemen (Group 11 Country Rugby League); the Parkes Boars rugby union club also plays at the precinct.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not confirmed as a standalone date; the wider Pioneer Oval precinct developed from 1892, with a grandstand opened in 1928 ahead of a Far West vs England rugby league match (Jock Colley Field is the name of the main playing field within the long-established Pioneer Oval precinct, not a separate venue with its own founding date; it was named for Wayne 'Jock' Colley, a long-serving Group 11 Country Rugby League president, by Parkes Shire Council resolution in June 2014.) |
| Home club | Parkes Spacemen (Group 11 Country Rugby League); the Parkes Boars rugby union club also plays at the precinct |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 1 |
| Top recorded crowd | 3,713 |
| Capacity | 12,000 (figure given for the wider Pioneer Oval precinct; not confirmed as specific to rugby league configuration) |
| Floodlights installed | Yes; informal training lights were in place by the 1940s, with a proper floodlighting installation added in 1976 and upgraded in 2003 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Years used | 2019 |
| Location | Parkes, New South Wales |
Name history
- The People's Park — 1892 onward, original name for the wider reserve
- Pioneer Memorial Oval — named 1941
- Pioneer Oval — shortened common name, in general use by the later 20th century
- Jock Colley Field — name of the playing field within Pioneer Oval since June 2014
Rugby league history
Rugby League Project records a single match at Jock Colley Field: a Western Division 20-22 loss to the touring French national side (Les Chanticleers) on 30 October 2019, drawing 3,713 spectators for a mid-week fixture in the small regional NSW town of Parkes. It is a rare case of a touring international side playing at a country ground carrying a name that honours local rugby league administration rather than the club itself. The wider Pioneer Oval precinct has a longer rugby league pedigree, having separately hosted a bitterly cold 1990 Rugby League World Cup fixture between Australia and France.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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