UOW Jubilee Oval, more commonly known as Kogarah Oval, is the joint-home ground of the famous red V of the St George-Illawarra Dragons. The pride of the St George region in southern Sydney, Kogarah Oval is a unique ground situated on the shore of Botany Bay and is one of the suburban grounds still being used in the NRL.
The first first grade game of rugby league was played at the ground on the 22nd April in 1950, when the St George Dragons were defeated by South Sydney. In the 1960s, the ground hosted one of the best teams in rugby league history, and is understandably regarded as a hallowed place by Dragons faithful. During the years when the Dragons would take their home games to other locations, fans would often plead and protest for the club to take their home games back to their spiritual ground in Kogarah.
After the Dragons merged with the Illawarra Steelers for the beginning of the 1999 season, Kogarah Oval would not host the Dragons for four long seasons, before a much-desired return to the ground occurred in 2003. However, it would take another 3 years for the Dragons to play a home game at night, with lights only being installed at the ground in 2006. During the 2008 season the ground would be renovated with a grandstand being built at the South-Western end, augmenting the capacity of the stadium to 20,505.
With games being split between Kogarah and the Dragons other home base in Wollongong, each game at UOW Jubilee Oval feels like an occasion, and never fails to attract a healthy crowd. It’s standing room only on the famous Eastern hill, and a place to be for an authentic rugby league experience.
