McDonald Jones Stadium
Newcastle-Maitland (Newcastle), New South Wales, Australia
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle-Maitland (Newcastle), Australia — opened 1970, 1,007 rugby league games hosted, home of Newcastle Knights.
Sourcing caveat: No State of Origin match at this ground was identified in sources found. Sources differ slightly on the exact opening date/name in the 1970s, but the 1970 opening date is well corroborated across multiple sources.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1970 (Opened 10 April 1970 as the Newcastle International Sports Centre; the Newcastle Knights began playing there from their 1988 NSWRL entry.) |
| Home club | Newcastle Knights |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 1,007 |
| Top recorded crowd | 32,890 (32,890 (Australia v New Zealand Test match, 16 October 2011). The highest Knights club crowd is 30,729, Knights v Rabbitohs, 2 September 2011.) |
| Capacity | 30,000 (some 2026 reports cite a temporary reduction to around 27,500 during maintenance work) |
| Test matches hosted | 1 |
| Years used | 1975–2026 |
| Location | Newcastle-Maitland (Newcastle), New South Wales |
Name history
- Newcastle International Sports Centre — 1970–1992
- Marathon Stadium — 1992–2001
- EnergyAustralia Stadium — 2001–2011
- Ausgrid Stadium — 2011–2012
- Hunter Stadium — used informally at various points
- McDonald Jones Stadium — 2016–present
Rugby league history
The ground was converted from an athletics oval to a rectangular football layout in 1986 and has been the Knights' home since the club's 1988 entry into the NSWRL. Major redevelopment ran from 2003 to 2011, including a rebuilt Western Grandstand. Beyond club rugby league, it has hosted representative Tests — including a Kangaroos v New Zealand Test in 2011 that set the ground's overall attendance record — the 2015 AFC Asian Cup (group games, a semi-final and the third-place playoff), the 2017 NRL All Stars match, and the 2018 A-League Grand Final.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 16 October 2011 — Australia v New Zealand Test, attendance 32,890
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Notable games played here
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 2023 | 2023 NRL Finals — Elimination Final | Newcastle Knights 30-28 Canberra Raiders |
Only matches we have full, sourced records for are listed here — other historic games mentioned above may not have a dedicated match page built yet (World Cup coverage in particular is still expanding tournament by tournament).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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