Newcastle Showgrounds
Newcastle (Broadmeadow), New South Wales, Australia
Newcastle Showgrounds, Newcastle (Broadmeadow), Australia — opened 17 May 1902, as an agricultural and horticultural show facility, 19 rugby league games hosted, home of Newcastle Rebels, 1908-1909, one of the nine foundation clubs of the NSWRFL premiership, used the Showground among their home grounds (alongside the Agricultural Ground and Wentworth Park).
Sourcing caveat: Which club(s) used the Showground specifically (rather than the separate, adjacent No. 1 Sports Ground) for most of its 1910-1946 recorded span is not confirmed.
Ground facts
| Opened | 17 May 1902, as an agricultural and horticultural show facility (Not to be confused with the separate, adjacent Newcastle Sports Ground (No. 1), which opened in 1922 and hosted most of the well-documented Newcastle rugby league Test matches; this write-up covers only the Showground itself and does not attribute that separate venue's Test history to it.) |
| Home club | Newcastle Rebels, 1908-1909, one of the nine foundation clubs of the NSWRFL premiership, used the Showground among their home grounds (alongside the Agricultural Ground and Wentworth Park) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 19 |
| Top recorded crowd | 17,134 |
| Years used | 1908–1946 |
| Location | Newcastle (Broadmeadow), New South Wales |
Name history
- Newcastle Showground(s) — since 1902, no renaming found
Rugby league history
The Newcastle Rebels notably defeated competition leaders South Sydney 7-6 in 1909 (Souths' only loss that season) before losing a semi-final 20-0; the club wound up shortly after. It is not confirmed which club(s) used the Showground specifically (as distinct from the nearby No. 1 Sports Ground) between 1910 and this site's own recorded 1946 end date; rugby league activity plausibly shifted toward the No. 1 Sports Ground after its 1922 opening. The Showground was requisitioned by military forces during both World Wars (1916, and 1941-1945), which may partly explain gaps in its recorded rugby league fixtures.
The Newcastle Show (original and continuing use) and motorcycle speedway (hosted the inaugural Australian Solo Championship in 1926); now also contains the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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