Sydney Cricket Ground

Sydney Cricket Ground (usually called the SCG) is located in the Moore Park area of Sydney, in New South Wales. It has been used for first-class matches since February 1878, when New South Wales met Victoria there.^[1] The first Test match on the ground was Australia against England in February 1882.^[2]

Sydney Cricket Ground, pictured in 2015

Early history

In 1851, the site was on common land south of the British Army's Victoria Barracks. The common was granted to the Army for recreational use, and the soldiers established a cricket ground there. The military team was called the Garrison Club, and so the original name of the ground was the Garrison Ground. It opened in February 1854. It was later renamed as the Civil and Military Ground. After the Albert Ground was closed in 1877, the NSW Cricket Association (NSWCA) moved into the Civil & Military. Meanwhile, the Army had vacated the Victoria Barracks, and the ground was again renamed, this time as the Association Ground. In 1894, it became the Sydney Cricket Ground, widely known as the SCG.^[3]

Capacity

Nowadays, the ground has a seating capacity of 48,000. However, its record attendance was at a rugby league match, when 78,056 watched the 1965 Grand Final between St George Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs.^[4]