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WIN Stadium
Sea-Side Stadium
Location Wollongong, New South Wales
Opened 1911
Closed Open
Demolished N/A
Owner Wollongong Sportsground Trust
Operator Wollongong Sportsground Trust
Surface Grass (Strathyr)
Former names
Wollongong Showground
Steelers Stadium
Tenants Illawarra Steelers (NRL) (1982 - 1998 )
St George Illawarra Dragons (NRL) (1999 - )
Wollongong Wolves
Capacity
20,000

WIN Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. It is now used as one home ground of the St George Illawarra Dragons rugby league side. The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games

Contents

History

The stadium was originally used primarily for agricultural shows and hosted a greyhound track as well, the name of the venue prior to 1911 was the Wollongong Showground. It is considered to be officially opened in 1911, when the sport of rugby league began playing at the stadium. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games

When the Illawarra Steelers entered the NSWRFL premiership in 1982, they played their home games at the stadium. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia Six years after their inception into the competition, the Steelers along with the then Showground Trust converted the ground into a rectangle. In 1992 the southern stand was built. WIN Television purchased the naming rights to the stadium in 1997. WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales Australia

In April of 2002, an $8 million upgrade to the stadium saw the opening of a new Northern Grandstand. The 6000 seat grandstand also brought increased corporate entertainment facilities.

In 2006, redevlopment was meant to begin on the stadium's western stand. The western grandstand was to be demolished and replaced by a new stand which was to hold 2500 general seats, 20 corporate boxes as well as media facilities and food and beverage outlets. The $37 million redevelopment was to see a four-star hotel integrated into the stadium which would have allowed fans to watch sporting events from the comfort of their hotel room. The WIN Stadium Trust believed that the redevlopment would provide significant job opportunities locally and bring in new revenue of approximately $2. 1 million per year.

However, in late 2006 the NSW State Government ensured that WIN Stadium wouldn't gain a redeveloped western grandstand at any time in the near future. The financial viability of a $100 million proposal for the redevelopment of the western grandstand was questioned by State Cabinet and three major issues ensured that the proposal didn't receive the green light.

Use

The primary tenants of WIN Stadium are the St George Illawarra Dragons rugby league team, who play half of their home games there (the rest are played at Sydney venues). The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team The current attendance record for WIN Stadium was set during a NRL finals match, when 19,608 watched the Dragons defeat traditional rivals the Cronulla Sharks. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney

WIN Stadium will host a match during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, between France and Fiji. Teams See also 2008 Rugby League World Cup squads Format Draw The draw after being confirmed by the RLIF on April The France national rugby league team represent France in international Rugby league tournaments The Fiji national Rugby league team (nicknamed the Bati) has been participating in international competition since 1992. The stadium has also played host to two pool games of the 2003 Rugby World Cup: Canada vs Tonga and France vs United States, and is also used by the Illawarriors rugby union team during the Shute Shield. The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby union world cup and was won by England. For the Canadian Rugby league team see Canada national rugby league team. The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles. The France national rugby union team represents France in Rugby union. For the American Rugby league team see United States national rugby league team. The Illawarriors are a new Rugby union franchise based in the Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short The Shute Shield is a Rugby union competition in Sydney, New South Wales. It also hosts the Grand Final in the local Illawarra Rugby competition.

The Wollongong Wolves soccer club, who compete in the New South Wales Premier League, once played their home games at WIN Stadium. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered For the rugby league competition see New South Wales Cup The New South Wales Premier League is the highest State level men's Football They currently play in a suburban ground in Cringila, while awaiting the completion of their new stadium in Figtree. Cringila ( is a densely populated southern suburb in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, about 4 km along Springhill Road Figtree is an inner western suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

Accessibility

There is a five-bus drop-off bay located at the WIN Entertainment Centre, which is located next to the stadium. WIN Entertainment Centre, formerly the Wollongong Entertainment Centre and often referred to simply as the WEC, is a multipurpose indoor arena located in downtown The nearest train station is the Wollongong station, which is approximately within 10 minutes walk from the stadium. As the stadium is located at the eastern end of the Wollongong Central Business District, there is a well suited public transport infrastructure. Street parking is available, though parking complexes (such as the Wollongong City Council Carpark) are usually much more accessible.

On game days when St George Illawarra play at WIN Stadium, a shuttle bus service runs between Wollongong Station and the stadium. Also, surrounding streets (including sections of Harbour St, Marine Dr and eastern Crown St) are closed to traffic.

External links

Official

Resources

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