Blundstone Arena, the sponsorship name for the picturesque Bellerive Oval that sits on the bank of the Derwent river in Hobart, is the home away from home for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Despite being one of the best grounds in the country to watch a game of cricket, The Kangas have built a solid fanbase in Tasmania’s capital since playing their first home game at the venue in 2012.
There is a long history of Australian Rules Football in the area, with the first game being played on what is now Bellerive Oval all the way back in 1884, when Carlton took on the local Bellerive side. However, the ground was not officially opened until 1914. Redevelopments and upgrades over the years, and most recently in 2015, have increased the stadium capacity to 20,000, just 1,000 behind Tasmania’s largest stadium, York Park in Launceston. The highest AFL crowd at Blundstone Arena was 17,844 when the Kangas took on the Tigers in 2016.
A stadium with a stunning backdrop of the Derwent river, Blundstone Arena is also noted for being very windy, rendering goal-kicking a challenging task. However, after playing several games at the ground, North Melbourne have seemingly become accustomed to the trying conditions for footy and have impressed at Bellerive since calling the place home. In Round 7 of the 2017 season, the Kangas booted an astonishing 10 goals in the opening quarter against eventual minor premiers Adelaide, going on to win by 59 points.
One of the longer and narrower grounds in the AFL, Bellerive Oval can be a tricky place to play for teams not used to both the dimensions, and the strong gusts of wind. The Roos will be hoping that they can continue to use these unique conditions to their advantage and build a formidable record in their second home.
