Blundstone Arena

Bellerive Oval, currently known as Ninja Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket oval and Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. With a combination of seating and standing capacity of 20,000, it is the second-largest stadium in Tasmania, behind York Park in Launceston, which holds 21,000 spectators. Bellerive Oval is the only Tasmanian venue that regularly hosts international cricket matches.

The stadium serves as the home ground for the Tasmanian Tigers, Tasmania's state cricket team, and the Hobart Hurricanes, a Big Bash League franchise. It has hosted international Test matches since 1989 and One-Day Internationals (ODIs) since 1988.

In addition to cricket, Bellerive Oval is a secondary home ground for the North Melbourne Football Club, an Australian Football League (AFL) team that plays four home games per season at the venue. Significant redevelopment projects have expanded the stadium's facilities to meet the requirements of high-profile events and increase spectator comfort.

History

Football and cricket first started being played in the area where Bellerive Oval is now in the mid-to-late 19th century. In 1884, the first football match on record from the area was played between Carlton and Bellerive. In 1913, the piece of land located between Bellerive Beach and Church and Derwent streets was sold to the Clarence Council. One year later, the new Bellerive recreation ground was ready for use.

The ground was largely unchanged until the mid-1980s. During this time, there was a hump in the centre of the ground, making only the top halves of players visible from the other side of the ground. There was a shed for players, located where the main pavilion now stands. There was a hill on the outer (where the hill now is) that could accommodate two rows of vehicles; the small scoreboard stood on the outer, close to where the electronic scoreboard is now, and the time clock sat about halfway up a training light tower. Until very recently, the police booth sat in the north-east corner of the oval. A concrete cricket pitch served local junior teams until the 1956/57 season, when it was replaced by a turf wicket.

In 1948, when the Clarence Football Club – a tenant of the ground – applied to join the Tasmanian Football League, the ground had to upgrade to TFL standards.

Some minor upgrades were made in the 1960s: clubrooms were built in 1961 and in 1963, a small grandstand (seating about 500) and new public address system were installed.

In 1977, Tasmania gained admission into the Sheffield Shield and the TCA planned to move to a new oval, away from its headquarters at the TCA Ground on the Domain. Bellerive Oval was chosen ahead of KGV Oval and North Hobart Oval. $2.2 million was spent building new grandstands, training nets, a hill, new surface and centre wicket. The old TCA Ground scoreboard was relocated there and the centrepiece three-level members' pavilion was constructed.

The newly refurbished ground was opened in 1986 for a TFL Statewide League roster match between Clarence and Hobart, which Clarence won in front of a crowd of 3,562. Significant damage to the newly laid turf resulted in no more football matches being scheduled for that season.

The move was made in 1987 under TCA Chairman Denis Rogers, in time for the ground’s first international match—between Sri Lanka and New Zealand—on 12 January 1988, before a crowd of 6,500.

The first Test match in Tasmania was played at Bellerive from 16 to 20 December 1989, between Australia and Sri Lanka. Shortly afterwards, the new electronic scoreboard and Northern Stand were erected.

In 2007, the venue saw the Tasmanian Tigers win the state's first Sheffield Shield and in 2008, the ground hosted its first One-Day Cup final, also won by Tasmania.

The oval became the first top-class cricket facility in Australia to sign a naming-rights sponsor in October 2011. A naming rights agreement with Blundstone Footwear resulted in the oval being renamed Blundstone Arena, which was temporarily discontinued during the ground's use in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

In 2023, Bellerive Oval saw further updates, which were particularly focused on improving accessibility and sustainability. The oval adopted several eco-friendly initiatives, including solar panels on the roofs of both the Ricky Ponting Stand and David Boon Stand, reducing its carbon footprint by 20%. These sustainability efforts were part of a broader push by Cricket Tasmania to modernise its venues and reduce environmental impact during large-scale events.

In October 2024, SharkNinja commenced a four-year naming rights deal, with the venue being renamed Ninja Stadium.

The most runs scored here in Test format is by Ricky Ponting (581 runs), followed by Michael Hussey (507 runs) and Mark Taylor (405 runs). The most wickets taken here is by Shane Warne (28 wickets), followed by Peter Siddle (22 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (19 wickets).

The most runs scored here in ODI format is by Kumar Sangakkara (346 runs), followed by Shaun Marsh (339 runs) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (324 runs). The most wickets taken here is by Wasim Akram (11 wickets).

Capacity

Following the completion of the Ricky Ponting Stand in 2015, the stadium’s capacity officially reached 19,500, although temporary seating arrangements during high-demand events such as Big Bash League (BBL) finals and AFL matches have allowed attendance to occasionally exceed this number, with a record of 20,200 set during a Hobart Hurricanes semi-final match in 2023.

Women's sport expansion

Bellerive Oval has played an increasing role in women’s cricket and AFL, hosting several prominent matches for both the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and AFLW. In 2023, the oval hosted the WBBL final, attracting 14,500 spectators, the highest ever attendance for a women’s match at the venue. The growth of women's sport in Tasmania has been highlighted by this venue's importance, particularly with investments into better training facilities for female athletes, such as a dedicated gym and locker room area built in 2022.

Controversies

Despite its continued development, Bellerive Oval has not been without controversy. Local residents have increasingly voiced concerns about the impact of larger crowds on the surrounding areas. Parking and traffic remain contentious issues, with local government proposals in 2024 to develop additional parking structures being met with opposition from environmental groups, who argue the new developments will encroach on parkland areas.

Structures and facilities

In 1999, the Federal Government announced that it would contribute $5 million to upgrade Bellerive. The TCA added $10 million, on loan from the state government, and the Clarence City Council $1 million, enabling a $16 million upgrade. The first part of this upgrade was the state-of-the-art indoor nets. The 6,000-seat Southern Stand came next, which blocked winds and views of the Derwent, and contained the new media centre. The new Members' Area was the last of the upgrades, along with new perimeter fence and entry gates. The Members' Area features press and radio media areas, corporate boxes and lunchrooms, as well as the players areas, members' bars and TCA offices. The redevelopment was officially opened on 11 January 2003, when an overcrowd of 16,719 (official capacity 16,000) witnessed a thrilling one-day match between Australia and England, the victory going to Australia.

To allow for day-night matches to be played at the venue, four light towers were installed in 2009 for $4.8 million, enabling one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 cricket matches to be played there. The installation of these lights sparked significant debate from groups both for and against the new towers.

The ground was scheduled for further redevelopment by 2015, with the state government providing $15 million to expand the Southern Stand and Members' Stand, increasing the ground's capacity to a little under 20,000 for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, along with an Ashes Test in the future, and the possibility of locking-in a long-term commitment for AFL games. AFL Tasmania is also looking at moving its offices to the ground as part of the redevelopment. At the official launch of the renovated stadium, it was announced that the new stand would be named the ''Ricky Ponting Stand'', and the existing Southern Stand would be named the ''David Boon Stand''.

Events

As well as being the home of domestic and international cricket and the Clarence Football Club in the now Tasmanian State League, Bellerive Oval served in 2003 as a home to the Tasmanian Devils in the VFL. The first match attracted the highest VFL roster match crowd since 1986–6,970. The venue also hosted Tasmania's two finals matches, with the elimination win against Geelong (4,800) and 10,073 for a semi-final against Port Melbourne, which was won by Port Melbourne.

North Melbourne

In 2010, talk of Melbourne-based Australian Football League (AFL) clubs shifting home games to Bellerive Oval surfaced. Richmond were considered the early front-runners, but by July 2010 North Melbourne became the most likely candidate, given their willingness to move more than just two matches.

On 7 June 2011, North Melbourne announced a new three-year deal in partnership with transport company Spirit of Tasmania, who announced its intent to sponsor North Melbourne home games in Hobart, at Bellerive Oval. From 2012 to 2014, North Melbourne played two home games per year at the venue. The first game was played 8 April 2012 in Round 2, in which North Melbourne defeated the fledgling Greater Western Sydney Giants by 129 points. The original three-year deal was renewed and extended for a further two years, with Hobart City Council and Spirit of Tasmania agreeing to provide sponsorship for North Melbourne to play three games per year at the venue in 2015 and 2016. A new deal, which did not include the council, was struck in 2016. The arrangement in effect from 2017 to 2021 allowed North Melbourne to continue playing three matches a season at Bellerive Oval, A renegotiated three-year deal effective from 2022 saw North Melbourne play four home games a year. North Melbourne ended the association with the venue in 2025, playing two home games at Bellerive Oval that season and transitioning two home games per season to Perth and Bunbury, Western Australia.

Attendance records

The record attendance for Bellerive Oval before redevelopment was 16,719 for a One Day International between Australia and England on 14 January 2003. The first international match at the venue was a One Day International between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on 12 January 1988 and attracted a then record crowd for an international in Hobart of 6,180.
On 21 February 2010, a Twenty20 International match between Australia and the West Indies attracted a crowd of 15,575. This was the first international day-night cricket match played at Bellerive Oval.

The record attendance at Bellerive Oval since the addition of the Ricky Ponting stand is 18,149 during a 2015–16 BBL match between Hobart Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers on 10 January 2016. The crowd of 17,844 for an AFL game in 2016 between and on 3 June 2016 is the highest crowd ever at Bellerive Oval for an AFL match.WOW!!! The BIGGEST EVER crowd for a cricket match @BlundstoneArena
twitter.com/HurricanesBBL. Retrieved on 1 January 2016

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Transport

Metro bus services are available to and from Bellerive Oval. Development into an international venue has far outgrown the capacity of local infrastructure to adequately handle the large influxes of patrons attempting to access the venue. In particular, there is little provision for spectator parking. Thus, large numbers of vehicles are parked in the surrounding streets when such events are held, resulting in access issues for local residents and need for traffic-control measures.

In 2023, a ferry service from Brooke Street Pier connecting the Hobart central business district with Bellerive Oval during major events was introduced.

In an attempt to address parking and access issues, development of the oval has encroached upon adjacent properties and in particular the Bellerive Rotary Park situated between the oval and the beach. This park is on land owned by the Clarence Council as is the adjacent oval. As the oval is an exclusive, fenced-off area and the park is an inclusive area open to all residents, many residents reject the encroachment.

See also

* List of international cricket centuries at Bellerive Oval

References

External links

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Australian Football League grounds
City of Clarence
Landmarks in Hobart
Sports venues completed in 1914
Sports venues in Hobart
Test cricket grounds in Australia
Women's Big Bash League
1914 establishments in Australia
Tasmania cricket team
Australian rules football in Tasmania