Sports Ground
Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
Sports Ground, Armidale, Australia — opened 24 December 1904 (formal dedication as an Athletic Sports Ground), 14 rugby league games hosted, home of New England Rugby League (country zone representative body), used intermittently 1904-1933 and again from 1946.
Sourcing caveat: France national touring-team matches recorded here in 1951, 1960 and 1964 could not be itemised in full (exact scores/attendances not confirmed). Current capacity could not be confirmed.
Ground facts
| Opened | 24 December 1904 (formal dedication as an Athletic Sports Ground) (Also known as the Armidale War Memorial Sportsground following a 1920s memorial scheme; this site's own records show rugby league use from 1919, five years before the earliest touring match independently itemised below, a discrepancy not further resolved.) |
| Home club | New England Rugby League (country zone representative body), used intermittently 1904-1933 and again from 1946 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 14 |
| Top recorded crowd | 6,980 |
| Test matches hosted | 3 |
| Floodlights installed | Electric floodlighting approved January 1925 |
| Surface | Turf (a full turf cricket pitch was installed by 1948, shared with cricket use) |
| First rugby league match | Not confirmed; earliest itemised touring fixture is Oct 1924 (Tamworth 11-51 NSW Firsts) |
| Years used | 1919–1967 |
| Location | Armidale, New South Wales |
Name history
- Athletic Sports Ground — 1904
- Armidale War Memorial Sportsground — from the 1920s, following a war memorial scheme and 1923 memorial entrance
Rugby league history
Armidale's principal multi-sport ground, formally dedicated in 1904 and later folded into a War Memorial scheme, hosting New England country representative rugby league against touring international sides across four decades (1924-1967), with a gap in the 1930s-40s caused by financial constraints and recurring ground-sharing disputes with the resident Charity Coursing Club (greyhound racing, 1943-1977). By 1971 the ground had been agreed as 'Armidale's premier sporting ground', and greyhound racing relocated in 1977. A major $128,000 redevelopment was completed in 1988, formally opened by former Test cricketer Doug Walters.
Also a significant cricket ground; a turf wicket was installed by 1922 and a full turf pitch by 1948.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 1936 — Northern Division 15-19 England (Lions Tour), attendance 6,980
- 1948 — Northern Division 7-13 New Zealand (Kiwis Tour), attendance 3,000
- 1967 — Northern Division 23-17 New Zealand (Kiwis Tour), attendance 4,500
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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