Bluetongue Stadium – stadium description

Sports in this picturesque location in central Gosford were played since 1915. Plans to build the current stadium date back to 1990s, when a major rugby team, North Sydney Bears, was expected to move here. Construction was expected to end in 1999, but due to weather conditions was delayed to early 2000.

Ironically, the rugby side never began to play here as they merged with another team at that time. With the unexpected turn of events only some games were held in the first years of the stadium’s operation, like the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

It wasn’t until 2005 that an anchor tenant was found, this time a football club, the A-League Central Coast Mariners. The club remains the ground’s main user to date.

Stands at the stadium have an interesting layout. There’s no south stand and the end zone is open towards the Brisbane Water with only a row of palms in the way. Both side stands are double-tiered and partly covered, while the north end is an open single tier.

In its short history the stadium already had several different naming rights partners. All names are derived from Central Coast Stadium, the formal name, which replaced the Grahame Park naming from 1915.