Richmond Cricket Ground
Melbourne (Richmond), Victoria, Australia
Richmond Cricket Ground, Melbourne (Richmond), Australia — opened 1856 (first match recorded at the site in December that year), 1 rugby league games hosted, home of Richmond Football Club (Richmond Tigers, VFL/AFL), associated with the ground since 1885 and playing senior home games there 1908-1964 before relocating primarily to the MCG; still used by the club for training, administration and VFL/AFLW home games. Richmond Cricket Club was also a historical tenant until relocating in 2011..
Ground facts
| Opened | 1856 (first match recorded at the site in December that year) |
| Home club | Richmond Football Club (Richmond Tigers, VFL/AFL), associated with the ground since 1885 and playing senior home games there 1908-1964 before relocating primarily to the MCG; still used by the club for training, administration and VFL/AFLW home games. Richmond Cricket Club was also a historical tenant until relocating in 2011. |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 1 |
| Top recorded crowd | 2,311 |
| Capacity | Sources disagree on the current figure (2,000 to 2,800); a redevelopment under way, expected to complete in late 2027, is intended to raise capacity to 8,000. The 1955-era capacity is not confirmed. |
| Floodlights installed | Yes, confirmed present today; installation date and presence at the time of the 1955 match are not confirmed |
| Surface | Grass oval; turf cricket wickets were removed during a 2012/13 reconstruction |
| Years used | 1955 |
| Location | Melbourne (Richmond), Victoria |
Name history
- Richmond Cricket Ground — the original name, used from 1856 and the name under which Rugby League Project records the 1955 match
- Punt Road Oval — the common, long-standing traditional name
- ME Bank Centre — a former naming-rights sponsorship name; exact years not confirmed
- Swinburne Centre at Punt Road Oval — current commercial naming, since 2017
Rugby league history
Richmond Cricket Ground (Punt Road Oval) is one of Melbourne's oldest sporting venues, the long-time home of the Richmond Football Club and Richmond Cricket Club and a near neighbour of the MCG. Its one recorded rugby league match was Game 3 of the French national team's 1955 tour of Australia, played 21 May 1955: a Victoria representative side lost heavily to France, 2-44, in front of 2,311 fans, part of an extensive barnstorming itinerary by the touring French side across Australian states that year and a rare instance of rugby league being staged in AFL-heartland Melbourne.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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