McDonald Jones Stadium – stadium description

Construction of the stadium began in December 1967 and its outcome was opened in April 1970 by queen Elisabeth II herself. Initially oval-shaped the ground was to address needs of cricket, Australian football, rugby and association football.

However, as the rugby side Knights grabbed tenancy in 1986, changes into a more rectangular stadium began occuring. Most recent ones shaped the arena already in the twenty-first century. In 2003-05 new east stand wasbuilt, first its lower tier and then the upper. Similarily, the western main grandstand was rebuilt from scratch in 2008-2011.

Aside from rugby (with attendance record for the stadium), the Newcastle venue has had football played here regularly since 1978, when Newcastle United began holding their matches here. As the soccer league dissolved in 2004 and was replaced by the A-League, United were also succeeded by Jets.

The stadium was indicated as a potential venue for 2022 World Cup, should Australia win the bidding procedure. In the event of success, it would see further seating installed behind both goals to exceed 40,000.