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About Simonds Stadium
Simonds Stadium is one of the largest and most prestigious venues in Victoria and is one of three venues within the state to host
AFL premiership matches and the only one outside of Melbourne. The City of Greater Geelong is the owner and operator of the venue, which is located in Kardinia Park Geelong.
Originally built in 1941, the stadium (formally known as Kardinia Park, Shell Stadium, Baytec Stadium and Skilled Stadium) is the heart of football in
Geelong. Over the years the stadium has undergone a number of major redevelopments, the most recent addition being the magnificent Premiership stand,
officially opened earlier this year.
The latest stadium redevelopment now provides the Geelong community with an impressive state of the art facility.
Venue History
Kardinia Park
Since its inception in 1869 and the name 'Kardinia (aboriginal: sunrise) Park' goes almost as far back - to 1872 when its 24 hectares extended north to Kilgour Street. In 1876 the new railway line chopped off the north east corner and the passing train whistle is often heard by the crowd at an event in Kardinia Park, which is only a block from the South Geelong railway station to its east.
The Park even hosted a Zoo for a few years after 1903 containing ducks, swans, peacocks and kangaroos, deer and monkeys.
The Geelong Football Club has played there since 1941 and the oval to the west of the Stadium (Kardinia Park West or St. Mary's oval) is for local Geelong Football League matches and is the home of the
St. Mary's Football Club which has clubrooms off the oval.
The circular oval to the north is used by the Geelong Cricket Club and is also used by the
Geelong Football Umpires League for training. A pavilion is attached to Simonds Stadium.
On the south of the Park are two 50m swimming pools and associated smaller pools. It is the home of the
Geelong Swimming Club. The first pool was opened in the 1960's and the second added in 2005.
Fourteen netball courts are located between the two smaller ovals - used by the Geelong Netball Association and the
Geelong Unity Netball Association. There are clubrooms alongside the courts.
Source: Geelong Cats Sports Foundation
Simonds Stadium
The Geelong Football Club began playing home games at Kardinia Park in 1941 after its previous home ground, Corio Oval, was commandeered by the military during World War II.
Previous names of the stadium as results of sponsorship deals have been Skilled Stadium, Shell Stadium and Baytec Stadium (However it was only called Baytec Stadium for
less than 2 months, and no AFL matches were played there under the name). On May 23, 2002, Kardinia park hosted a visit from the Dalai Lama who again
visited the stadium in June 2007.
The stadium was for many years the only VFL affiliated ground located outside the Melbourne metropolitan area. It is also regarded as a
graveyard for opposition teams with Geelong, the main tenant, having not lost a match played at the venue since August 26, 2007.
Sports House
Sports House is an exciting community resource to help local sports organisations manage and promote sport. Sports House is located o
n the ground floor of the Reg Hickey Stand with entrance off Moorabool Street. Business hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm excluding public holidays.
Tenants include:
Legends Plaza
Geelong is blessed with a rich sporting history . Located in Geelong’s sporting hub, Kardinia Park, the Legends Plaza gives testimony to our greatest sports men and women.
Selected by an independent Committee from an extensive list of nominees, the selected Legends have reached the highest level in their chosen sports as a participant or administrator. They have achieved exceptional sporting goals whilst demonstrating exemplary character and integrity. The Legends Plaza is a dedication to these unique individuals.
Fourteen sporting legends have been included in the initial installation with the capacity to add to this number over time.