Claremont Oval

Claremont Oval
Former names	Claremont Recreation Ground
Location	Davies Road, Claremont, Western Australia
Coordinates	31°58′42″S 115°46′58″E / 31.97833°S 115.78278°E / -31.97833; 115.78278Coordinates: 31°58′42″S 115°46′58″E / 31.97833°S 115.78278°E / -31.97833; 115.78278
Opened	1905
Owner	Town of Claremont
Operator	Claremont Football Club
Surface	Grass
Capacity	10,000
Tenants
Claremont Tigers (WAFL) (1925-present)

Claremont Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Perth, Australia. The capacity of the venue is 10,000 people and was opened in 1905 and is the home of the Claremont Football Club.

Before 1925, the "Claremont Recreation Ground" served as a Cricket and Soccer Ground, with no fence, native bush on the eastern side, near the Showgrounds, with the remaining area a sandy wasteland. Upon Claremont-Cottesloe's admittance to the 'A' Grade of the WAFL West Australian Football League competition in 1925, for the 1926 season, the council spent 5000 pound to bring the ground up to standard for league football, including the dumping of rubbish around the perimeter to create the sloping banks and the construction of a grandstand.

As the new ground and grandstand were not yet ready, the team played all home games of 1926 at the Claremont Showgrounds. The first league game played at Claremont Oval was on 30 April 1927, where East Fremantle defeated Claremont-Cottesloe, 19.10 to 4.12.

Claremont Oval has been used by the Claremont Football Club as a home ground from that game forth, except in 1945 and 1946, where, due to the grandstand fire in 1944, and the condition of the playing surface, the club shared with the Subiaco Football Club at Subiaco Oval. In 1944 the grandstand built in 1927, was burnt to the ground, destroying much of the club's history, records, equipment and premiership pennants.^[1] For over 10 years afterwards, old army tin sheds served as the changerooms for teams playing at Claremont Oval. The current facilities at Claremont Oval were built in 1956 and 1970 (the R.J.Kyle Pavilion), replacing the tin sheds.

The largest attendance at the ground was 18,268, when Claremont played South Fremantle on 7 May 1983.

Recently talks have been held between the Claremont Football Club and the Claremont Town Council Town of Claremont regarding the possibility of the Club relocating to the adjacent Claremont Showgrounds and thereby freeing up Claremont Oval for possible redevelopment.

References

1. ^ "CLAREMONT FIRE.". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) (Perth, WA: National Library of Australia): p. 3. 29 July 1944. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44817583. Retrieved 3 October 2011. 

External links

• Google Maps image of Claremont Oval