Nittawela Rugby Stadium

Nittawela Rugby Stadium is a purpose-built rugby union stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is one of Sri Lanka's most famous rugby venues.

Nittawela Rugby Stadium
LocationNittawela, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Coordinates7°18′59″N 80°38′03″E
OwnerKandy SC
OperatorKandy SC
TypeStadium
Genre(s)Sporting Events
Capacity25,000
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1949
Opened1954
Tenants
Kandy SC

History

Kandy Sports Club's original home ground was Bogambara Stadium until in 1939 the British Colonial Army took it over during the Second World War.[1] The grounds were subsequently handed over to the General Hospital to house their offices. Kandy SC however continued to play rugby at Bogambara but without a club house. In 1949 the Kandy Municipal Council resolved to provide the club with an area of land, a landfill site, at Nittawela.[1] The preparation of the site took approximately five years and it wasn't until 1954 that Nittawela became the permanent home ground for Kandy SC.[2]

In 1992 the gradient towards the entrance was levelled and a new pavilion was constructed, this was followed by the construction of the Central Finance grandstand and a pavilion named after Major General Denzil Kobbekaduwa. In 2004 a further two stands were constructed and were named after two former players Priyantha Ekanayake and Nalaka Weerakkody. A media pavilion has also been constructed and is named after former club captain, Indrajith Bandaranaike.

References
  1. Jaleel, Shamseer (24 August 2011). "Kandy dominate local rugby scene". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. de Joodt, Ken (5 December 2013). "A Historic Kandy Sports Club". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
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