Albury Sports Ground

Albury Sports Ground is a sporting venue that is primarily used for Australian Rules football and cricket, and is located in central Albury, New South Wales, Australia, not far from the city's central business district. It makes up part of a string of parks and gardens between the Murray River and Wodonga Place, being adjacent to the Albury Botanic Gardens, and the clubhouse is prominent to visitors arriving in town from Victoria via the former Hume Highway. It has a capacity of about 5,000, and historically had a capacity of at least 15,000. It is the home ground of the Albury Football Club which plays in the Ovens and Murray Football League (O&MFL). It should not be confused with Lavington Sports Ground which is located further north within Albury in the suburb of Hamilton Valley.

Whilst its role as Albury's main sporting venue been passed on since the establishment of the Lavington Sports Ground in the 1970s, it has in the past hosted the O&MFL grand final (including the notorious 1990 "Bloodbath" decider), a round of the VFL between South Melbourne and North Melbourne in 1952, and representative Australian Rules football and cricket matches. It was also the venue for the rugby league tour game in 1951 where a team of virtual unknowns representing Riverina upset France, who at the time were possibly the best test nation in the world. Riverina won 20-10, thank mostly to the boot of their fullback Koch, who kicked 7 goals. It also hosted cultural events such as rock concerts and carols by candlelight, as well as hosting a stage of the Royal Tour by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 during Australia's bicentenary of colonisation, where thousands of schoolchildren were assembled on the oval to greet the Queen.

Coordinates: 36°4′59.19″S 146°54′31.59″E / 36.0831083°S 146.9087750°E / -36.0831083; 146.9087750


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