North Dalton Park
| Dalton Park | |||
| Ground information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | North Wollongong, Wollongong | ||
| Coordinates | 34°23′29″S 150°54′17″E / 34.39139°S 150.90472°E | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Owner | Wollongong City Council | ||
| Operator | Wollongong City Council | ||
| Tenants | New South Wales Cricket Association Illawarra Lions (Sydney AFL) Wollongong Saints Women's AFL Wollongong Lions Junior AFL AFL NSW/ACT Game Development AFL South Coast Operations | ||
| Team information | |||
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| As of 2007 - present | |||
North Dalton Oval is located on Pioneer Rd, Towradgi, in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
The ground has a grandstand on the western side, where plastic bucket seats were installed over the concrete steps in late 2007. The remainder of the ground is surrounded by a small hill which gives the ground an overall capacity of around 6,000. The scoreboard is at the northern end of the ground. From the eastern hill, the ground has spectacular views with the mountain backdrop providing a picturesque scene when watching matches. The ground was re-surfaced in 2007, and broadcast quality floodlights were installed.
The ground is home to the Illawarra Lions in the Sydney AFL competition, the Wollongong Saints in the Sydney Women's AFL and the Wollongong Lions Junior AFL Club. The venue also hosts Illawarra grade cricket during summer. An interstate Ford Ranger Cup match was scheduled there on Sunday 9 December 2007, but rain in the days leading up to the match led to the game being abandoned without a ball bowled. The ground hosted a Ford Ranger Cup match on the 26th of January 2010 vs South Australia, drawing 2,909 spectators.
Significance and Future Use
The ground is considered to be Wollongong's major Cricket and AFL ground. Cricket NSW have expressed interest in committing to more matches in Wollongong, following the excitement generated in the lead up to the Ford Ranger Cup match in 2007. NSW are scheduled to meet South Australia on Australia day in the Ford Ranger Cup this summer.
In July 2014 North Dalton Park will host a game between the Ainslie Football Club and the Sydney Swans Reserves as part of the North East Australian Football League(NEAFL).
In November 2013, the AFL NSW/ACT established office facilities at the ground catering for Game Development activity and AFL South Coast operations.
Access
The ground is well located, within easy walking distance from Fairy Meadow train station and Towradgi station. The ground has expansive open space to the south, used as cricket, soccer, baseball and touch football fields.