The Williamstown Cricket Ground, currently known by its sponsored name Downer Oval, and also informally as Point Gellibrand Oval, is a football and cricket stadium located in

Williamstown, Victoria Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay local government area. Williamstown recorded a population of 14,407 at the 2021 census. ...

. The ground is located on Point Gellibrand, the southernmost point of Williamstown which juts into

Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is compl ...

. The ground is currently the home of the

Williamstown Football Club The Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed The Seagulls, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne. The club currently competes in the men's and women's Victorian Football League and VFLW competitions. History The Williamstown Fo ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

, and the Williamstown Cricket Club in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association.

History

The ground was established as early as the 1850s as a venue for cricket in Williamstown, and for the Williamstown Cricket Club which formed around the same time. Senior football was not played regularly at the Williamstown Cricket Ground until 1886. The

was unable to agree to terms with the cricket club for use of the ground, forcing the football club to play its matches without charging for admission at the unfenced Gardens Reserve; as a direct result of this dispute, a new senior football club, the South Williamstown Football Club, was established, and received permission to play its matches at the cricket ground. In 1888, the dispute ended; the two football clubs amalgamated, and began playing all of its home games at the ground with the agreement of the cricket club. One major grandstand, the W. L. Floyd Pavilion, was built during the 20th century, and is located on the south-western flank. It was initially opened in 1930, and in 1963 it was named after Larry Floyd, who served as club secretary in the 1930s and 1940s. The ground's location at Point Gellibrand, jutting slightly out into Port Phillip Bay, makes the seaside ground picturesque, but also heavily windswept, often affecting play during football games and making for cold conditions during winter. The venue was redeveloped between 2010 and 2012, which included refurbishing the Floyd Pavilion. A

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

era military bunker was unexpectedly uncovered beneath the outer during the redevelopment work.

References

Sports venues in Melbourne Cricket grounds in Victoria (Australia) Victorian Football League grounds Williamstown, Victoria Sport in the City of Hobsons Bay Buildings and structures in the City of Hobsons Bay {{cricket-ground-stub