// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Englefield Stadium say to the ball? You're always fielding questions.
 The stadium during It's a Knockout in 1987 | |
 Interactive map of Englefield Stadium | |
| Address | Dural, New South Wales |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°42′59″S 151°01′58″E / 33.71644°S 151.03284°E[1] |
Record attendance | 3,245 (Western Suburbs vs Marconi, 1 June 1977) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Demolished | Mid-1990s |
| Tenant | |
| Western Suburbs SC (1977–1978) | |
Englefield Stadium was a soccer stadium located in the Sydney suburb of Dural.[2] It was the home of Western Suburbs SC between 1977 and 1978, hosting a total of twelve National Soccer League (NSL) matches.[3]
History
[edit]Englefield Stadium was opened in 1967, replacing a poultry farm that previously occupied the land.[2] The stadium was privately run by William Englefield (1917–1988), a former cricketer who played for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, and Donald Lawson.[2][4]
During the early 1970s, the stadium was used by the Australia men's national soccer team as its training base before the 1974 FIFA World Cup (the first World Cup that Australia had qualified for).[2][5]
Western Suburbs SC was a foundation club of the National Soccer League in 1977.[6] Its first match at Englefield Stadium was on 1 June 1977 against Marconi in front of a crowd of 3,245 people.[7] However, attendance also reached as low as 521 people later in the season.[7]
Englefield Stadium hosted four NSL matches in 1978, but it continued to suffer from low crowd numbers.[8] After just 500 people attended Western Suburbs' round 6 match against Brisbane City, the club moved to Wentworth Park for the remainder of the season, where it played double-headers with Eastern Suburbs.[2][8]
Following the conclusion of the 1978 NSL season, Western Suburbs was absorbed by APIA Leichhardt FC.[9] Englefield Stadium hosted one New South Wales Super League match in 1979, while Australia's under-21 and under-19 teams also trained at the stadium prior to the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship.[2][10]
In 1985, the stadium was converted into the production location for It's a Knockout, a game show that was broadcast on Network Ten.[11] Bleacher seating for 1,200 people was added, with the venue also featuring six light towers that allowed for the show to be filmed at night.[2] However, because of numerous noise complaints from local residents, It's a Knockout ended in September 1987.[2]
The venue was sold at a public auction on 15 June 1989.[2] The remaining features of the stadium were later demolished, with the building of dwellings on the land commencing in the 1990s.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ↑ "The IAK Gallery". OoCities. 12 April 2003. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Street, Les (11 April 2013). "The Forgotten Grounds of Sydney: A Retrospective Overview of Select National Soccer League Venues" (PDF). The International Journal of the History of Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Studs Up Fanzine Issue 42" (PDF). Studs Up. August–September 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ "William Englefield". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 24 January 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ "1979 Australian Youth Championship Overview". Australian Soccer Federation. 1979. p. 4. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
Training camps were conducted at the Bill Englefield Stadium in Sydney with some forty or more players taking part.
- ↑ Howe, Andrew (5 April 2012). "Winning the west". A-Leagues. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- 1 2 "1977 National Soccer League Results". OzFootball. Archived from the original on 6 June 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- 1 2 "1978 National Soccer League Results". OzFootball. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ "Apia in Soccer 'takeover'". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 January 1979. Archived from the original on 22 April 2026. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ "New South Wales "Top Flight" First Grade Venues". OzFootball. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ↑ Ann Low, Lenny (27 November 2011). "If the glove fits". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2026.