Hindmarsh Stadium

Hindmarsh Stadium

Company type	Stadium
Industry	Sports venue
Predecessor	Hindmarsh Oval
Founded	1960
Founder	Soccer Association of South Australia (lessee)
Headquarters	Hindmarsh, Adelaide , Australia
Area served	Adelaide, South Australia
Products	Multi-purpose stadium for soccer, rugby league, rugby union

Hindmarsh Stadium—commercially known as Coopers Stadium through sponsorship agreements—is a multi-purpose stadium situated in Hindmarsh, a western inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It functions as the home venue for the Australian A-League club, Adelaide United.

The stadium accommodates up to 16,500 spectators, with seating available for 15,000 attendees. It regularly hosts Adelaide United’s professional football fixtures, drawing average attendances surpassing 12,000 during both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. Hindmarsh Stadium has also been the site for Adelaide United’s matches in the AFC Champions League. Ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the venue was selected to host five games and underwent renovations focused on its eastern seating area.

History

Constructed in 1960, the stadium occupies ground once known as Lindsay Circus/Hindmarsh Oval. This location was historically significant as the home of the Hindmarsh Cricket Club (later West Torrens District Cricket Club) from 1857 until 1921, as well as the West Torrens Football Club competing in the SANFL between 1905 and 1921. During World War I, the Patriotic Football League—a wartime continuation of SANFL clubs—held numerous matches here, notably including the 1916 Grand Final where Port Adelaide triumphed over West Torrens.

Initially, the Soccer Association of South Australia acquired land at Rowley Park in Brompton, close to Adelaide’s center, intending to develop it into a soccer ground due to its natural bowl-shaped terrain. However, inadequate turf growth and frequent flooding during winter rendered it unsuitable. The site was subsequently leased for speedway racing and operated as Rowley Park Speedway from 1949 until its closure in 1979. The property was eventually sold and transformed into the Kym Bonython housing estate, named after the speedway’s longtime promoter.

Acknowledging Rowley Park’s limitations, the Soccer Association secured a lease on Hindmarsh Oval from Hindmarsh Council. Over time, this location evolved into a rectangular stadium with a capacity of approximately 15,000 spectators. A single-tier grandstand was erected in 1960, providing seating for around 2,000 fans. In the mid-1970s, six primary floodlight towers were installed to facilitate night matches, supplemented by eight smaller lights mounted on the grandstand roof. Additional seating was added along the eastern side in 1996.

With the inception of the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1977, Hindmarsh emerged as one of two venues in Adelaide hosting league matches. It served as a home ground for Adelaide City Zebras (who also played at Olympic Sports Field) and subsequently for West Adelaide Hellas. By the late 1980s, Hindmarsh had become Adelaide’s exclusive NSL stadium.

In 1986, Hindmarsh staged the first leg of the NSL Grand Final between Adelaide City and Sydney Olympic; Sydney Olympic won that match 1–0 but Adelaide City clinched the title after winning 3–1 in Sydney. The stadium also hosted the 1994-95 NSL Grand Final where Melbourne Knights defeated Adelaide City before an audience exceeding 16,000.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s—an era when soccer attracted relatively modest crowds—Hindmarsh frequently hosted Socceroos international fixtures featuring notable Adelaide players such as Robert Zabica, Alex Tobin, and Aurelio and Tony Vidmar.

Association football since 2000

During the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Hindmarsh Stadium served as a prominent venue for the preliminary rounds of the men's soccer competition. This role led to a near-complete reconstruction, elevating the stadium to its present condition. The playing surface was extended from 110 to 120 metres to accommodate rugby league and rugby union, although rugby union’s minimum field length necessitates slightly shorter in-goal zones. The original six light towers were replaced by four television-quality towers, and the terraces were transformed into uncovered seating areas, preserving only the grandstand constructed in the mid-1990s. Temporary seating expanded capacity to 20,000 during the Olympic Games. Hindmarsh hosted matches from Groups A and B, with an attendance peak of 18,340 for the Italy versus Nigeria U23 fixture on 19 September 2000.

The stadium has been a site for numerous international soccer competitions, including hosting most matches of the 2004 OFC Nations Cup, where the Socceroos commenced their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification journey. In 2007, it was the stage for early matches of the Olyroos' qualifying campaign for the 2008 Summer Olympics. With soccer’s expanding fan base across Australia, Hindmarsh primarily functions as a training ground or venue for Socceroos games against lower-ranked Pacific island nations. Major international fixtures are generally held at larger arenas such as Sydney's 84,000-seat Stadium Australia, Brisbane's 52,500-seat Lang Park, or Melbourne Cricket Ground, which accommodates 100,024 spectators. Nonetheless, the redevelopment of Adelaide Oval into a FIFA-standard stadium with a capacity of 53,583 has led to speculation about high-profile Socceroos matches returning to Adelaide.

Adelaide United

Since its founding in 2003, Hindmarsh Stadium has been the home ground for A-League Men club Adelaide United. Outside of the 2000 Olympics, the venue’s highest attendance was recorded at 17,000 during the second leg of the 2008 AFC Champions League Final against Japan’s Gamba Osaka. Although Adelaide United lost 2–0, they made history as the first Australian club to reach the AFC Champions League Final.

From 2013 onward, sponsorship from local brewery Coopers has led to the stadium being branded Coopers Stadium. It hosted the inaugural 2014 FFA Cup Final on 16 December 2014, where Adelaide United triumphed over Perth Glory. The stadium has maintained its reputation for cup football success with United also hosting and winning both the 2018 FFA Cup Final and 2019 FFA Cup Final, including a closely contested 1–0 victory witnessed by 16,142 fans.

Rugby football

Hindmarsh Stadium has accommodated both Rugby union and Rugby league contests. In 1992, an exhibition match featured the New Zealand All Blacks against a South Australian 'Select' team. The All Blacks dominated, with goal kicker Grant Fox contributing significantly. Notably, FitzSimons was sent off during this match, making him unique as the only Wallaby ever dismissed in a game versus the All Blacks.

In 1998, Hindmarsh served as home for the short-lived National Rugby League franchise, the Adelaide Rams, hosting their final four home fixtures of that season. Their first game at Hindmarsh resulted in a commanding 52–0 victory over the Balmain Tigers, concluding with a balanced 2–2 record at this venue. The Rams had intended to continue playing at Hindmarsh in 1999 due to its rectangular field being more suitable than their previous oval-shaped home at Adelaide Oval. However, ownership under News Ltd dissolved the team weeks before that season commenced.

On 15 April 2006, Hindmarsh welcomed its first NRL match since 1998 when Sydney's Penrith Panthers faced off against Melbourne Storm. Drawing an audience of 7,017 spectators, Melbourne secured a 40–18 win highlighted by an impressive performance from emerging talent Greg Inglis.

It was announced on 3 October 2008 that Sydney-based Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks would host three NRL home games at Hindmarsh over a three-year period starting in 2009. The opening match on 19 April 2009 attracted a record rugby league crowd of 8,547 as the North Queensland Cowboys defeated Cronulla Sharks 34–10.

However, early in the 2010 season, Cronulla withdrew from this agreement to concentrate on their home fan base at Toyota Stadium. Later that year, Sydney's Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs played a home fixture at Adelaide Oval rather than Hindmarsh against Melbourne Storm. Although plans were made for Adelaide Oval to serve as their secondary home through 2011, this arrangement concluded after two seasons.

Rugby league attendance figures and match outcomes

Hindmarsh Stadium has been the venue for six first-grade rugby league games.

Date	Match Result	Crowd Size	Remarks
3 July 1998	Template:Leagueicon Adelaide Rams defeated Template:Leagueicon Balmain Tigers 52–0	7,351	1998 NRL season (round 17)
26 July 1998	Template:Leagueicon Adelaide Rams overcame Template:Leagueicon Auckland Warriors 22–20	7,445	1998 NRL season (round 20)
7 August 1998	Template:Leagueicon Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles beat Template:Leagueicon Adelaide Rams 32–10	7,459	1998 NRL season (round 22) Highest Hindmarsh attendance for Adelaide Rams
15 August 1998	Template:Leagueicon North Sydney Bears defeated Template:Leagueicon Adelaide Rams 36–0	7,035	1998 NRL season (round 23) Last home game for Adelaide Rams
15 April 2006	Template:Leagueicon Melbourne Storm triumphed over Template:Leagueicon Penrith Panthers 40–18	7,017	2006 NRL season (round 6)
19 April 2009	Template:Leagueicon North Queensland Cowboys defeated Template:Leagueicon Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 34–10	8,547	2009 NRL season (round 6) Record rugby league crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium

Facility enhancements

Ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the original single-level grandstand featuring wooden bench seating was demolished in 1996 and replaced with the current two-tiered grandstand. Additionally, the terraced seating opposite was removed and substituted with individual seats. Following the Olympics, only the newly constructed grandstand remained.

Beginning in 2021, Hindmarsh Stadium underwent a $53 million upgrade which included installation of advanced lighting systems, a roof covering the eastern grandstand, large video screens, modernized change-room facilities, improved media amenities, enhanced spectator conveniences, and a corporate suite within the Eastern stand. This redevelopment was finalized by January 2023 in time for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The renovation introduced a new playing surface, fifteen new screens (comprising two large video replay boards and thirteen digital signage displays distributed among seven bars), along with upgraded active supporter zones featuring safe standing areas, officially opened in October 2024.

Football matches during the 2000 Olympic Games

During the 2000 Summer Olympics, Hindmarsh Stadium served as the host for seven fixtures in the men's football competition. The venue's highest recorded attendance of 18,430 occurred at the Group A encounter between Italy and Nigeria.

Date	Time (ACST)	Team #1	Score	Team #2	Stage	Attendance
13 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	3–3	Template:Fbu	Group A	13,386
14 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	0–3	Template:Fbu	Group B	14,060
16 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	3–1	Template:Fbu	Group A	18,301
17 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	1–0	Template:Fbu	Group B	12,753
19 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	1–1	Template:Fbu	Group A	18,430
20 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	1–0	Template:Fbu	Group B	16,309
23 September 2000	18:30	Template:Fbu	1–1 (5–4 pen.)	Template:Fbu	Quarter-finals	18,345

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup matches

The venue was the site for six fixtures during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, featuring four matches from the group stage and one elimination round game.

Date	Team 1	Score	Team 2	Stage	Spectators
24 July 2023	Template:Fbw	4–0	Template:Fbw	Group F	13,142
28 July 2023	Template:Fbw	1–0	Template:Fbw	Group D	12,675
30 July 2023	Template:Fbw	0–1	Template:Fbw	Group H	12,886
1 August 2023	Template:Fbw	1–6	Template:Fbw	Group D	13,497
8 August 2023	Template:Fbw	4–0	Template:Fbw	Round of 16	13,557

See also

• Lists of stadiums
• List of soccer stadiums in Australia

External links

• Coopers Stadium