Seiffert Oval is an enclosed rectangular playing field in

Queanbeyan, New South Wales Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...

. It has a grass playing surface and an official capacity of 15,000, 1,500 of which is seated capacity in the grandstand. The oval boasts lighting, toilets, kiosk, a food outlet, home and away change rooms and car parking facilities. The oval has been used for

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 112 ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and

Rugby Union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

and is currently the home ground for the Queanbeyan Blues. The oval is owned and managed by the

Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council is a local government area located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the City of Queanbeyan and Palerang Council. The ...

. The ground record crowd was set on 18 June 1989 when 18,272 fans turned out in Round 12 of the 1989 NSWRL season to see the Raiders defeat the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

27–6.

Rugby League

Seiffert Oval served as the base of the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

for the first eight seasons of its existence (1982–1989). The Raiders' first game at Seiffert was in Round 2 of the 1982 NSWRFL season against the

Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly r ...

. In front of 6,769 fans, Wests ran out 33–4 winners, with the home side failing to score a try against their opponents' seven. Canberra's first win at the ground, which was also their first ever competition win, would come in Round 8 of the 1982 season when 9,982 fans saw the "Green Machine" run out 12–11 winners over the

Newtown Jets The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSW Cup competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season. The Jets' home ground ...

. The ground hosted an 'international' rugby league match during the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour when an Australian

Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose tea ...

, including Raiders

Gary Belcher Gary Belcher (born 28 May 1962) is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative, he played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership f ...

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

Glenn Lazarus Glenn Patrick Lazarus (born 11 December 1965) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and a former Australian Senator. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative , Lazarus won premie ...

, and

Mal Meninga Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Australian national team and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the fin ...

defeated the tourists 24–16 on a wet day in front of 6,037 fans. It also hosted an international rugby union match when the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

defeated the ACTRU 41–25 in 1989. The Canberra Raiders final premiership game at Seiffert Oval was on 20 August 1989. On the day the Raiders (who won their first premiership that year becoming the first non-Sydney premiers) defeated the

Illawarra Steelers The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, they ...

16–6 in front of 6,161 fans.1989 Canberra vs Illawarra at Rugby League Project
The Steelers had also joined the competition in 1982. After winning the 1989 premiership, the Raiders moved to the larger

Bruce Stadium Canberra Stadium (GIO Stadium for commercial reasons) is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sports ven ...

in the Canberra suburb of

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

where they have remained since the beginning of the 1990 season. The Canberra Raiders made a return to Seiffert Oval for pre-season trial games against the

Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, th ...

on 21 February 2015 and 18 February 2017. The Raiders also returned to Seiffert Oval on 27 February 2021 for their trial match against

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...

References

External links

* Queanbeyan Canberra Raiders Rugby league stadiums in Australia {{NewSouthWales-struct-stub