Beaton Park Stadium

Beaton Park Stadium is an Australian basketball centre in Gwynneville, New South Wales. It was the home of National Basketball League side Illawarra Hawks between 1979 and 1998, and is the home to local basketball in Wollongong. It was nicknamed "The Snake Pit" during its time with the Illawarra/Wollongong Hawks.[2]

Beaton Park Stadium
The Snake Pit
LocationGwynneville, New South Wales
Capacity1,500[1]
Opened1965
Tenants
Illawarra Hawks (NBL) (1979–1998)

History

After the stadiums construction in 1965, a game between Illawarra and the Sydney Paratels opened the stadium.[2]

In 1979 the stadium was used as the Illawarra Hawks home stadium during the inaugural season of the National Basketball League. The Hawks remained at the venue until the opening of the 6,000 seat Wollongong Entertainment Centre in 1998, though they continue to train at the stadium and use it for pre-season games.[3]

The stadium has in the past hosted multiple Australia Boomers and Opals exhibition games in the past, as well as the Harlem Globetrotters, the United States women's national basketball team and multiple NCAA college teams.[2]

References
  1. KEEBLE, TIM (25 October 2013). "Snakepit was Hawks' secret weapon". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. "History - Basketball Illawarra". SportsTG. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  3. "Pre-Season Schedule Announced". www.hawks.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
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