Wollongong Showground (known under naming rights as WIN Stadium) is a stadium located in the Wollongong city centre. It is primarily used for rugby league as a home ground of the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL).
The stadium opened in 1912, hosting numerous sports including soccer and greyhound racing, with it today primarily hosting rugby league. The stadium hosts a total capacity of 22,000 spectators. Australian commercial television broadcaster WIN Television own the naming rights to the stadium, along with the neighbouring Wollongong Entertainment Centre. The stadium is owned and operated by Venues NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.
History
Origin The stadium was originally used primarily for agricultural shows and hosted a greyhound racing track as well; The name of the venue prior to 1911 was the Wollongong Showground. It is considered to have been officially opened in 1911, when the sport of rugby league began playing at the stadium. The last greyhound meeting was held on 19 March 1984.
When the Illawarra Steelers entered the NSWRFL premiership in 1982, they played their home games at the stadium. 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.
Development In April 2002, an $8 million upgrade to the stadium saw the opening of a new Northern Grandstand. The 6,000 seat grandstand also brought increased corporate entertainment facilities. WIN Corporation provided half of the funding for the upgrade.
In 2006, redevelopment 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 redevelopment 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 decided against funding the much-needed upgrade. The financial viability of a $100 million proposal for the redevelopment of the western grandstand was questioned by the State Cabinet.
In October 2009, the NSW Labor Government announced $28.9 million in funding for the construction of a new western stand, under a revised plan. The new western grandstand will be a much simpler design than the original "hotel stand" but will result in a much larger ground capacity. The new stand will seat 6,170, taking WIN Stadium's ground capacity to approximately 23,750.
On 20 September 2011, high winds bucked the western grandstand roof, which was still under construction, causing a redesign and delay in the opening of the stand with the upper tier not being ready for occupancy until half-way through the 2012 NRL season.
Future
Following the announcement of the $28.9million western stand redevelopment, it would seem that WIN Stadium will remain as the region's major sporting facility. Also, as further commercial and residential development occurs in the eastern and southern city areas, parking will become an even bigger issue. WIN Stadium is practically reliant on street parking.
A $17million upgrade to the showground's entertainment precinct was announced in January 2026 by the New South Wales government. As part of these upgrades the northern and southern grandstands will be extended, player facilities will be improved and a beach promenade will be built.
Current uses
The primary tenants of WIN Stadium are the St. George Illawarra Dragons rugby league team, who play six of their twelve home games there (the rest are played at UOW Jubilee Oval, in the St. George area). The current attendance record for WIN Stadium was set during a NRL finals match, when 19,608 watched the Dragons defeat rivals the Cronulla Sharks.
The Illawarra Steelers lower grade sides currently play home games at the venue, as they have for the past thirty-two years.
WIN Stadium hosted its first rugby league international during the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, with Fiji, led by Parramatta Eels star Jarryd Hayne, defeating France 42–6 in front of 9,213 fans. The stadium also played host to two pool games of the 2003 Rugby World Cup: Canada defeated Tonga 24–7 in front of 15,630 fans, and France defeated the United States 41–14 in front of a crowd of 17,833.
The Wollongong Wolves, who currently compete in the National Premier Leagues NSW, also play their home games at WIN Stadium.
WIN Stadium is also used by the Illawarriors rugby union team during the Shute Shield. It also hosts the Grand Final in the local Illawarra Rugby competition.
On 22 February 2014, the ground hosted its first Charity Shield match.
On 9 November 2014, WIN Stadium hosted its first rugby league international since the 2008 World Cup, and the first ever appearance of the Australian national team in Wollongong when the Kangaroos played Samoa in the final round robin game of the 2014 Four Nations. The game, which was expected to break the ground record attendance of 19,608, attracted 18,456 fans who saw the Kangaroos defeat Samoa 44–18 to book a spot in the tournament final against New Zealand.
On 3 January 2015, WIN Stadium played host to its first top-flight soccer match since the demise of the National Soccer League, with A-League side Sydney FC playing Newcastle Jets and the following day Iran played Iraq in an international friendly match.
On 24 September 2017, Win Stadium hosted musician Elton John for the first time. The concert was part of his Once In a Lifetime Tour in Australia, which besides Wollongong went to the regional locations of Cairns, Mackay, and Hobart. Thousands of fans gathered to witness the performance.
On 10 February 2018, WIN Stadium hosted the first Super League game to be played outside of Europe when Wigan Warriors faced Hull FC, with Wigan coming out on top by a score of 24–10.
Accessibility There is a five-bus drop-off bay located at the WIN Entertainment Centre, which is located next to the stadium behind the northern grandstand. The nearest train station is the Wollongong station, which is approximately 1.4 kilometres (20 minute 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 Street, Marine Drive and eastern Crown Street) are closed to traffic.
Attendance records +CrowdDateEvent19,60810 September 20052005 NRL Qualifying Final – St. George Illawarra Dragons 28–22 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks19,51229 July 20052005 NRL season – St. George Illawarra Dragons 44–6 Sydney Roosters19,05128 July 20072007 NRL season – St. George Illawarra Dragons 24–28 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs20,285 / 21,455 24 September 2017 Elton John – Wonderful Crazy Night Tour
Rugby league test matches List of senior international rugby league matches played at the Wollongong Showground. DateTeam 1ScoreTeam 2EventAttendance Ref. 1 November 2008 42–6 2008 Rugby League World Cup Group B 9,213 9 November 2014 44–18 2014 Rugby League Four Nations 18,456 25 October 2019 28–8 Friendly 18,104 26–4 2019 Oceania Cup
Rugby World Cup The stadium hosted two games of the 2003 Rugby World Cup which was held in Australia.
Date Competition Team 1 Team 2 Attendance29 October 2003 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool D 24 7 15,63031 October 2003 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool B 41 14 17,833
Rugby League Tour Matches Other than being the home ground for the Illawarra Steelers and St George Illawarra Dragons, the Wollongong Showground has also played host to numerous international and interstate touring teams since 1938.
Game Date Result Attendance Notes1 3 July 1938 Queensland Firsts def. NSW Group 7 38–15 6,000 2 2 June 1946 South Coast def. England 15–12 13,352 1946 Great Britain Lions tour3 23 May 1948 New Zealand def. NSW Country Firsts 30–16 9,000 1948 New Zealand tour4 19 June 1949 NSW Country Firsts def. Queensland Firsts 18–6 6,000 5 19 July 1950 Southern Division def. Great Britain 18–11 8,647 1950 Great Britain Lions tour6 15 July 1951 France def. Southern Division 24–13 11,334 1951 French tour of Australasia7 7 June 1953 NSW Country Firsts def. USA 35–9 11,787 1953 American All-Stars tour8 30 May 1954 Southern Division drew with Great Britain 17–17 15,435 1954 Great Britain Lions tour9 5 June 1955 Southern Division def. France 16–9 6,500 1955 French tour of Australasia10 1 July 1956 Southern Division def. New Zealand 16–9 6,500 1956 New Zealand tour11 26 August 1956 Southern Division def. Māori 17–16 4,008 1956 New Zealand Māori tour12 8 May 1958 Great Britain def. Southern Division 36–18 10,673 1958 Great Britain Lions tour13 7 June 1959 New Zealand def. Southern Division 27–10 5,741 1959 New Zealand tour14 29 May 1960 Southern Division def. France 35–10 9,038 1960 French tour of Australasia15 8 July 1962 Southern Division def. Great Britain 18–10 10,527 1962 Great Britain Lions tour16 27 May 1963 New Zealand def. Southern Division 14–8 7,385 1959 New Zealand tour17 24 May 1964 Southern Division def. France 11–0 7,936 1964 French tour of Australasia18 19 June 1966 Southern Division def. Great Britain 17–8 11,677 1966 Great Britain Lions tour19 4 June 1967 New Zealand def. Southern Division 15–9 6,157 1967 New Zealand tour20 5 July 1970 Great Britain def. Southern Division 24–11 7,796 1970 Great Britain Lions tour21 27 June 1971 Illawarra U/21 def. Papua New Guinea 18–9 1971 Papua New Guinea tour22 30 June 1974 Great Britain def. Illawarra Firsts 26–22 8,364 1974 Great Britain Lions tour23 28 June 1975 Illawarra Firsts def. England 15–12 4,000 England 1975 Rugby League World Cup tour24 15 March 1978 Illawarra Firsts def. Wellington 63–5 1,830 1978 Amco Cup25 11 June 1978 Illawarra Firsts def. New Zealand 15–10 1978 New Zealand tour26 1 July 1979 Great Britain def. Illawarra Firsts 18–13 3,994 1979 Great Britain Lions tour27 8 July 1981 Illawarra Firsts def. France 26–7 2,216 1981 French tour of Australasia28 8 June 1992 Great Britain def. Illawarra Steelers 11–10 10,021 1992 Great Britain Lions tour29 25 October 2019* Junior Kangaroos def. France 62–4 18,104 2019 French tour of Australasia * Played as a curtain raiser to the Australia vs New Zealand Test.
City vs Country The Wollongong Showground played host to 6 NSW City vs NSW Country matches between 1948 and 2008.
Game Date Result Attendance 1 30 May 1948 NSW City Firsts def. NSW Country Firsts 8–5 2 5 May 1995 NSW Country Firsts def. NSW Metro Firsts 16–8 8,150 3 NSW City Origin def. NSW Country Origin 16–84 3 May 1996 NSW Country Firsts drew with NSW Metro Firsts 10–10 8,121 5 NSW Country Origin def. NSW City Origin 18–16 6 2 May 2008 NSW Country Origin drew with NSW City Origin 22–22 11,365
References
External links WIN Stadium official website WIN Sports and Entertainment Centres official website St. George Illawarra Dragons official website
Redevelopment notes