Stadio Plebiscito
Padua, Veneto, Italy
Stadio Plebiscito, Padua, Italy — opened 1981, 4 rugby league games hosted, home of Not a rugby league home ground in any club sense -- Italy's national rugby league team played all 4 recorded matches there as the nominal home side. The venue's actual regular tenants are rugby union (Petrarca Padova) and, at various points, football (San Paolo Padova, 2010-2011) and American football (Padova Saints)..
Ground facts
| Opened | 1981 (A general multi-sport stadium opening date, single-sourced (StadiumDB.com) and not independently corroborated -- not rugby-league-specific, as rugby league did not arrive until 2008. Capacity is also disputed between sources: StadiumDB states 12,500, while Wikipedia states 9,500-9,600 all-covered seats; the two figures may reflect pre- and post-renovation capacity (a 2016-2017 renovation reportedly added roughly 4,500 seats via new stands), but no source confirms which figure is current, so both are disclosed.) |
| Home club | Not a rugby league home ground in any club sense -- Italy's national rugby league team played all 4 recorded matches there as the nominal home side. The venue's actual regular tenants are rugby union (Petrarca Padova) and, at various points, football (San Paolo Padova, 2010-2011) and American football (Padova Saints). |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 4 |
| Top recorded crowd | 2,139 |
| Capacity | Disputed -- 12,500 per StadiumDB vs 9,500-9,600 per Wikipedia; see opened_caveat. |
| Floodlights installed | Not confirmed either way by any source found. |
| Surface | Grass, 105m x 67m. |
| First rugby league match | 13 Jun 2008 -- European Nations Shield 2008: Italy 58 def Germany 26 |
| Last rugby league match | 16 Oct 2011 -- 2011 World Cup Qualifiers: Italy 92 def Russia 6 (crowd 2,100) |
| Years used | 2008–2011 |
| Location | Padua, Veneto |
Name history
Rugby league history
Primarily known as a rugby union and American football venue -- it has hosted Italy vs Australia (October 1996, Wallabies tour), 2011 IRB Junior World Championship pool matches, Women's Six Nations fixtures (2015, 2018, 2019), and Italy vs Samoa (November 2022, 49-17). Rugby league use was a brief window (2008-2011) tied to Italy's national team fixtures, not an ongoing tenancy -- the standout being a 104-0 rout by Scotland in the 2009 European Cup, and a 92-6 demolition of Russia in the 2011 World Cup qualifiers.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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