Game Day Venues /

Competition Venues

Cumberland Oval  
Record crowd at Cumberland Oval 
22,470 v South Sydney, April 26, 1971 

Cumberland Oval formed part of the wider Parramatta Park recreation area established by European early settlement. It was used for various sports including speedway, football, athletics, horse racing track and cricket.  
 
In 1936, Parramatta Oval as it was then known, saw some important changes including a large stand encompassing player facilities and lockers, installation of a wooden fence and the playing area was enlarged. Seating accommodation for thousands was provided.  
 
A decade later, the Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club entered into an agreement with the Parramatta Park Trust to use Cumberland Oval as their home ground.  
 
The facilities were basic and in its first year the Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club wrote to the Parramatta Park requesting additional lavatories and seating.  
 
On April 12, 1947, history was made when the Parramatta first grade team took to the field at 3.15pm. The team was:  
 
C. Schomberg, K. Gersbach, R. Andrews (c ), J. Smith, D. Munro, I. Bell, W. Woodward, A. Slattery, E. Hearn, G. Saywell, G. Robertson, G. Cook, F. McKean 
 
It would be round seven before Parramatta enjoyed the first of their four victories of 1947 – 13-8 against Wests at Cumberland Oval on June 21. The players were mobbed by the Parramatta faithful at full-time. 
 
Eventually, rugby league’s popularity overtook many of the other sports and Cumberland became known as the home ground of the Parramatta rugby league team.  
 
Some would remember the old wooden grandstand and the characters who filled the outer; the flaxen haired fan nicknamed ‘Ice Cream’ who used to run up and down the sideline, and the phantom bugler who played the Last Post as the opposition kicker lined up a kick at goal. 
 
The main entry for the Oval was located at the northern end, which meant players who parked at the Leagues Club had to walk across the northern hill to their changerooms on the western side of the ground. Good for when the team was winning, but not so much when they were losing.  
 
Players used the nearby cricket oval for pre-game warm up and accessed the oval by an inadequate route via the canteen on the opposite side of the changerooms. Players would bang on two metal doors adjacent to the changerooms until canteen staff opened the doors. Players would walk through the canteen, taking in the smell of pies and beer on their empty game-ready stomachs, then walk out to the oval.  
 
Fanaticism reached its peak around the mid-1960s and the stadium was forced to install a single strand of barbed wire around the top of the perimeter fence to stop spectators and children invading the field. 
 
Parramatta would go on to play 326 games at Cumberland Oval. Unbeknownst to the club, the last game at the venue would be a draw against Manly on August 30, 1981 in front of a crowd of 18,449 fans before playing in their historic first premiership-winning grand final. 
 
The club’s administrators had been lobbying the government for a new stadium in western Sydney for some time. Local environmentalists had appealed the proposal.  
 
Fans of the blue and gold yearned for a new stadium and burnt down the wooden stands and seating of Cumberland Oval following the club’s first premiership win in September 1981 as a way of forcing a new stadium decision. 
 
Fans that night salvaged pieces of the picket fence as mementos and attempted to claim parts of the scoreboard, but it too was set fire.  
 
Parramatta had claimed their first premiership but were now homeless.

Belmore Sports Ground 
Record crowd at Belmore Sports Ground 
25,028 v Manly, August 7, 1983

Parramatta adopted Belmore Sports Ground between 1982 and 1985 as its home ground, although it was feared that many of the blue and gold faithful would refuse to travel to the home of their rivals, the Canterbury Bulldogs.  
 
The western grandstand featured undercover seating and player changeroom facilities, and the grassed hill running the length of the eastern side was a popular viewing area for the public.  
 
Fans will remember the sound of trains rattling along the tracks behind the northern end of the ground, and erupting into a cheer when the driver sounded their horn. There was a train along the western line all stops to Auburn and then next stop Berala and all stops to Belmore, missing Lidcombe so fans didn’t have to change lines.  
 
To further encourage supporter attendances, the club ran buses for members and fans from Parramatta Leagues Club to Belmore Sports Ground. This continued for ‘Away’ game venues until the late 1980s.  
 
The inability to use Cumberland Oval meant that Parramatta also had to find a suitable mid-week training venue. The Eels settled on Granville Park, now known as Eric Tweedle Stadium. 
 
Records show the Eels would win two more premierships from their temporary home and lost just seven of their 48 home games played at Belmore Sports Ground across the four seasons. 

Parramatta Stadium  
Record crowd at Parramatta Stadium 
27,243 v South Sydney, August 17, 1986  

Following years of dispute and exile at Belmore, the NSW Government agreed to introduce legislature (Cumberland Oval amendment Bill) which exempted the project of Planning and offered to step in and construct a 30,000-capacity stadium.  
 
Construction by Civil and Civic began in 1984 and by the following year, Parramatta had a stadium which provided individual seating for 8,500 under cover and another 8,500 on the concourses. In addition, there were two grassed hills at either end and twenty-four individual private boxes plus two double boxes.  
 
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened Parramatta Stadum on March 5, 1986.  
 
Located on the site of the old Cumberland Oval alongside Parramatta Leagues Club and Parramatta Park, the stadium provided modern player amenities, comfortable seating, and a variety of corporate hospitality suites and private boxes.  
 
Parramatta legends Michael Cronin and Ken Thornett were honoured with naming of the eastern and western grandstands, and the northern and southern hills became known as the Peter Sterling Hill and Brett Kenny Hill respectively.  
 
Two weeks later, on March 16, 1986, a capacity crowd cheered as the mighty blue and gold entered the field of play and christened their new home with a win against St George Dragons 36-6.  
 
After leading 18-6 at halftime, the Eels won 36-6.  
 
The team who took the field was: 
Parramatta: Paul Taylor, Eric Grothe, Brian Jackson, Mark Laurie, Neil Hunt, Brett Kenny, Peter Sterling, Ray Price (c), Steve Sharp, Paul Mares, Stan Jurd, Michael Moseley, Terry Leabeater.  
The NSW Government further increased seating capacity with the construction of 1500 terrace seats at the north and south ends in 2004. 
 
Parramatta Stadium was the site of many amazing moments in the Club’s history including the come from behind win against Canberra, Luke Burt’s all-time Club try scoring record, and Semi Radrara’s barnstorming runs.  
 
The Parramatta Eels would go on to play 336 home games at Parramatta Stadium from 1986 to 2016.  
 
To bookend their era at Parramatta Stadium, the Eels played St George Illawarra Dragons in their last game at the venue, winning 30-18. 

Stadium Australia 
Record crowd at Stadium Australia 
104,583 v St George Illawarra Dragons, March 6, 1999 

As part of an election promise, the NSW Government determined to demolish the former Parramatta Stadium and deliver a new stadium for western Sydney. The decision left the Parramatta Eels again in search of a new home.  
 
Between 2017 and 2018, the Parramatta Eels played their home games at Stadium Australia at Sydney Olympic Park (then named ANZ Stadium), which was constructed for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.  
 
The opening of the new Olympic Stadium in 1999 featured an NRL Double Header drawing a capacity crowd to experience the venue for the first time. A total of 104,583 fans watched Parramatta v St George Illawarra on March 6 – the largest crowd to ever watch a Parramatta game.  
 
Travel to and from the venue proved difficult for some fans throughout the relocation and the club was forced to look at integrated public transport match tickets to encourage fan attendance. 
 
Easter Monday became a highlight on the Eels home game calendar, with members and general fans taking the opportunity to attend the Sydney Royal Easter Show and showgrounds next door prior to the main game.  
 
The inconvenience was all worthwhile when the new stadium was officially opened in 2019 and the Eels would return to their Parramatta heartland. 

NEW Western Sydney Stadium (CommBank Stadium) 

The new Western Sydney Stadium was opened in 2019 on the site of the former Cumberland Oval and Parramatta Stadium sites, and revolutionised the spectator experience.  
 
Improved public transport links, access to free WiFi, quality food and beverage offerings, and Australia’s steepest stands allowed fans to be closer to the action creating the best fan experience. 
 
In round 6 on April 22, 2019 the Parramatta Eels finally played their first game at their new home, hosting the Wests Tigers in an Easter Monday thriller.  
 
The Parramatta team was: 
C. Gutherson (c ), Maika Sivo, Michael Jennings, Brad Takairangi,, Josh Hoffman, Jaeman Salmon, Mitchell Moses, Daniel Alvaro,  Reed Mahoney, Junior Paulo, Shaun Lane, Marata Niukore, Peni Terepo, Tepai Moeroa, Tim Mannah, Oregon Kaufusi, and Ray Stone. 
Playing to a capacity stadium, the Eels ran away with the game 51-6.  
 
Like halfback Peter Sterling’s performance at the opening of the former Parramatta Stadium Eels’ halfback, Mitchell Moses etched his name in Eels folklore becoming the first player to score a try, conversion, and field goal at the new stadium.