Birchgrove Park is an

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

and

sports ground A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. For most sports t ...

located in Birchgrove,

Inner West Council Inner West Council is a local government area located in the inner western region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council makes up the eastern part of this wider region, and was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merge ...

, Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour. It is also the location of Birchgrove Oval, the headquarters of the Sydney Cricket Club from 1897 to 1947 and a historic

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

football ground which served as the original home of the

Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful i ...

club.

History

The park was established in 1881 through subdivision of the estate of Lieutenant John Birch, acquired by Didier Numa Joubert. Sale of Joubert's allotments fell well short of expectations, and the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and N ...

foreclosed. The

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

acquired thirty six allotments that led to the formation of the Birchgrove Recreation Ground; and the creation of the subsequent Birchgrove Park Trust. Regarded as the spiritual birthplace of

rugby league in Australia Rugby league in Australia has been one of Australia's most popular sports since it started being played there in 1908. It is the dominant winter football code in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. In 2009, it was the most watched spor ...

because it hosted the first professional matches in 1908, Birchgrove Oval hosted the official launch of the 2008 NRL season, which celebrated the sport's centenary in Australia. Australian rules football also has historical links to Birchgrove Park, with NSWFA matches played there from 1903 to 1926. During the 1908 New Zealand Māori rugby league tour of Australia, a Sydney Metropolitan team hosted a match against the tourists at Birchgrove Park. The Balmain rugby league club played Premiership matches at the ground from their first season in 1908 until 1942.

References

External links

* {{NRL Grounds Sports venues in Sydney Parks in Sydney Balmain Tigers Rugby league stadiums in Australia Cricket grounds in Australia Birchgrove, New South Wales 1881 establishments in Australia Parks established in 1881

History

See also

References

External links