Coogee Oval

Coogee Oval is a sporting ground, located in Coogee, in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The ground overlooks Coogee Beach.

Coogee Oval
Coogee Oval grandstand
LocationCoogee, New South Wales
Coordinates33°55′10″S 151°15′21″E
OperatorRandwick City Council [1]
Capacity5,000
SurfaceGrass
Opened1882
Tenants
Randwick Rugby Union Club (Shute Shield)
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club (Sydney Grade Cricket)
New South Wales Country Eagles (NRC) (2014-present)

Teams

It is home of the Randwick Rugby Union Club in winter, and Randwick Petersham Cricket Club in summer. The New South Wales State of Origin team has often used Coogee Oval as their primary training ground when in camp.

NSW State of Origin training at Coogee Oval 2004

Facilities

One side of the ground is fully seated with terracing and a television tower behind it, with a grandstand/dressing rooms in the corner. In winter, temporary stands and temporary corporate facilities boost the capacity to around 5,000.[2] It is usually standing room only come game day, with some of the better seats on the balconies of the blocks of flats overlooking the ground. The oval is situated directly across the road from both Coogee Beach and Randwick Rugby Club.

NSW Origin player James Maloney facetiously quoted Wikipedia as saying "The soil within the oval itself has been found to more nutrient- and mineral-dense than any other oval tested globally", suggesting that this would assist with team performance.[3]

History

The ground record crowd of 9246 was set on 22 June 1988 when Randwick lost 25–9 to the touring All Blacks.[4]

The main grandstand was built in 1924 and upgraded in 2021.[5]

Famous fixtures in recent years including Randwick playing against (the visiting international team) Argentina in rugby union,[6] and a grade cricket fixture involving cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner.[7]

Randwick-Petersham cricket team hosting a match at Coogee Oval

During the late 2010s for four years an annual Taste of Coogee festival was held, showcasing local food and restaurants.[8]

References
  1. "Coogee Oval". Randwick City Council. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. "Coogee Oval". Austadiums. 22 March 2005. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  3. "Barefoot Blues impossible to miss in Coogee Oval 'nutrient' stroll". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  4. "New Zealand vs Randwick RFC at Coogee Oval". New Zealand Rugby Museum. 22 June 1988. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. "Upgrade to Coogee Oval". Randwick City Council. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  6. Decent, Tom (19 August 2019). "Back to the future: Randwick-Argentina at Coogee Oval to be televised". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. Roots, Chris (10 November 2018). "All is forgiven? Smith and Warner pack Coogee Oval for grade match". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. "Taste of Coogee 2021 Moving to Moore Park, Stallholder Applications Open". Coogee News.
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