In the beginning...
1851 - 1852: Colonel Henry Bloomfield, first commander of Victoria Barracks, is granted 25 acres of land behind the Barracks known as Paddington, for a soldiers’ cricket field, rifle range and garden. The cricket field is named the Garrison Ground and later becomes the Sydney Cricket Ground. In this picture, taken from what is now a part of Oxford Street, the cricket ground is located beyond the upper right.
1854
16 February: the first recorded cricket match on the Garrison Ground is played between the Garrison Club and the Royal Victoria Club.
The Garrison Club was victorious, with the last Royal Victorian batsman being run out on the single that would have tied the match.
1875
The NSW Cricket Association is permitted use of the cricket ground. They spend £3000 on redevelopment and rename it the Association Cricket Ground (ACG).
1876 - 1877
In August of 1876, the ground was formally dedicated by Governor Sir Hercules Robinson who appointed the first Trustees, Richard Driver, William Wilberforce Stephens and Philip Sheridan as trustees. The first cricket match on the Association Cricket Ground was between the New South Wales Government Printing Office and the Audit Office in the final match of the Civil Service Challenge Cup. Held on the 25th October 1877.
Concept Design For The First Members Pavilion, Printed In The Sydney Mail, February 1878. An Alternate Structure Was Built On The Site Of The Current Ladies Members Pavilion. (1878) by Sydney Mail, February 1878Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1878
The first Members Pavilion is erected. The Association Cricket Ground (ACG) is inaugurated on October 25th with a first-class cricket match, NSW v Victoria.
Featured is a concept design for the first Members Pavilion, printed in the Sydney Mail, February 1878.
Tennis On The Sydney Cricket Ground (1878/1879) by Courtesy: Sydney Lawn Tennis ClubSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1878 - 1880
Athletics competitions commence and the Sydney Lawn Tennis Club forms and lays courts on the northern edge of the ACG.
Sydney Football Club Infront Of The First Members Pavilion, (1881) by Courtesy: Ian Granland, Nsw Australian Football History Society IncSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1881
The Grandstand is opened, cyclists start using the ground for racing meets and on 6th August, NSW plays Victoria at Victorian Rules football at the ACG. This was the first football code to be played on the ground.
Australian vs England, (Third Test), Association Cricket Ground (1882) by Dixon Library, State Library Of NswSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1882
17 February: the Association Cricket Ground (ACG) hosts its first Test Match. Australia beats England by five wickets.
Members Pavilion, Front And Side Elevations. (1886/1903) by Richard Shute, Architect and Image: Courtesy Of The State Library Of NSW.Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1886
The Members Pavilion is constructed to the east of
the first Members Pavilion, by Messrs Parry & Son, at a cost of £6,625.
1886
Cricket becomes a popular pastime for women in the colony and two social ladies matches are played at the ACG.
SOURCE: TOWN AND COUNTRY JOURNAL, 17 APRIL 1886. COURTESY OF R. LILIENTHAL
The National Game Of The Americans - Baseball (1886/1889) by Harry. H. SimpsonSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1886
The NSW Baseball Association forms and plays their inaugural match at the ACG.
Baseball gains popularity with A.G. Spalding's Chicago White Sox and All-America team tour of Australia in 1888-89.
England V Sydney, Association Cricket Ground (1888) by UnknownSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1888
The first British rugby team (now considered a British Lions team) visit Australia and play three matches at the ACG.
Bulli Soil (1888) by Sydney Cricket and Sports GroundsSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1888
Bulli soil is used at the ground for the first time.
Lord Sheffield’s Anglo-Australian Cricket Team V Combined Australian Team (1891/1892)Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1892
Lord Sheffield's XI tours Australia and plays a Combined Australia at the ACG.
Later, Lord Sheffield dedicates £150 for the establishment of an Australian domestic first-class cricket competition, the Sheffield Shield.
1894
The Association Cricket Ground is renamed the Sydney Cricket Ground. Membership ledgers denote the change in name of the ground.
1896
The Ladies Members Pavilion, designed by architect John Kirkpatrick and constructed by McLeod Bros, replaces the first Members Pavilion, at a cost of £5,661.
First Mechanical Scoreboard (1896)Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1896
The ground's first mechanical scoreboard is built by Ned Gregory, the ground's first curator.
1896
An asphalt cycle track is laid inside the SCG boundary fence. Electrified lights are installed two years later, enabling night cycling to commence.
1897
A small grandstand named the Northern Stand is built to the east of the Members Pavilion.
Sydney Sports Ground Opens, (1900) by SCG TrustSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1903
3 October: the Sydney Sports Ground opens on the site previously occupied by the Victoria Barracks’ rifle range. Celebrations over two days included cycling, motor-racing and band performances.
1905
Utilising Ned Gregory's original 1896 scoreboard structure, a new scoreboard was erected at the ground. Moved to the southern edge of the ground, the scoreboard remained in place for nearly twenty years, when it was replaced in 1924.
NSW V New Zealand, Sydney Cricket Ground First Rugby League Match (1911) by Exchange StudiosSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1911
23 June: Coronation Day celebrations cause a NSW v New Zealand rugby league match to be moved from the Showground to the SCG. It is the first time the emerging football code is played at the SCG.
1912
The newly erected Smokers Stand (1909) is renamed in honour of the late Philip Sheridan, an original Trustee and first SCG manager.
1914 - 1915
International cricket ceases due to World War One. First-class cricket continues at the SCG in 1914-15, but takes a hiatus from 1915-16 to 1917-18. Australian Test cricketer Albert 'Tibby' Cotter, who debuted at the SCG in 1904, was killed in action at Beersheba in Palestine, on 31 October 1917. The NSW Cricket Association erected a plaque in his honour at the SCG.
White Sox V NSW (1914) by Exchange Studios, 49 Pitt Street, SydneySydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1914
The Chicago White Sox and New York Giants visit Australia for an exhibition tour of baseball. Matches between the American teams and NSW were staged at the SCG.
Plan - Scoring Board (1912) by UnknownSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1924
The Robertson and Marks designed scoreboard is erected on the SCG’s Hill, replacing the 1905 scoreboard. It remains in operation for almost 60 years.
SCG Curator Tom Parker Operating The Restored Barford & Perkins Roller, Australia V India Test, 2012. by Photograph by Hamilton LundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1928
The SCG purchases its first motorised lawn roller. The Barford & Perkins roller was restored in 2001 and is still in operation today.
Plan - Sydney Cricket Ground (Vellum Copy) (1936) by UnknownSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1936
A new Members Stand replaces the Northern Stand. It is designed to sweep west, beyond a central clock tower and replace the Members and Ladies Pavilions, but the western wing is not built. In 1947, it is renamed the M.A. Noble Stand, after the Australian cricketer and first Member-elected Trustee.
1938
The SCG is the premier site for the British Empire Games, now known as the Commonwealth Games.
1941
During World War Two, the SCG is occupied by the Australian Military Forces. The 11th Garrison Battalion was housed in the M.A. Noble Stand with the 13th Garrison housed in the Members Pavilion. The mess hall was in the Ladies Members Pavilion.
1951
The Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Sports Ground are brought under the control of an amalgamated trust - the Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust.
Tram Destination Sign (1961)Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1961
Trams cease operation in Sydney. Trams delivered patrons to the grounds from the 1880s.
Tram destination signs, such as this one, were commonplace along Driver Avenue, where patrons alighted for the grounds fixtures.
1965
The rugby league grand final between St George and South Sydney draws a crowd of 78,056 - still the largest in SCG history. Many break into the SCG and watch from the stairwells and rooftops; thousands more watch from the Showground. St George win their tenth consecutive premiership.
1970
In 1970, HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Princess Anne toured Australia in conjunction with the bicentenary celebrations of Captain James Cook sailing the east coast of Australia. While in Sydney, the royal tour attended a Rugby League match at the SCG. It was reported to be the first time royalty had attended a Rugby League match in Australia.
1974
The Bradman Stand is opened at a cost of $2M. On the SCG Test wicket, Sir Donald Bradman marks the opening of the stand by facing a ball, with a stump, bowled by life-time rival, spinner Bill O'Reilly.
1977
The SCG Museum opens on 14 January 1977, thanks to honorary curator and former Australian cricketer, Bill Hunt.
The Australians And The West Indies (1978)Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1978
28 November: the modern face of the SCG emerges as six floodlight towers are put into use, when the ground hosts its first day-night World Series Cricket match between the Australians and West Indies.
Construction Of The Brewongle Stand (1978) by Architect's, Robertson And MarksSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1980
The new Brewongle Stand is completed at a cost of $8.9M.
1982
The South Melbourne Football Club relocate to Sydney and begin playing home matches at the SCG as the Sydney Swans.
SCG Electronic Scoreboard Parts (1983)Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1983
18 November: the SCG's first electronic scoreboard is put into operation in a match between New South Wales and Pakistan. The scoreboard is managed and operated by statistician, Ross Dundas.
Pat Hills And Bill O'reilly Stand (1984/1988) by Image: Courtesy Of Fairfax.Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1984
The Pat Hills Stand is erected on the Paddington Hill and named in honour of then Chairman, Pat Hills. The stand is later renamed the Bill O’Reilly Stand (1988) after the incomparable Australian leg spinner.
Doug Walters Stand, makeshift banner seen in the backgroundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1985
The Hill Stand is opened on the famous SCG Hill. After strong encouragement by fans, it is later renamed the Doug Walters Stand.
1986
Named after rugby league’s Little Master, the Churchill Stand opens on the 9 August, one year after Churchill’s death.
Sydney Football Stadium At Night (1988) by Photograph by Hamilton LundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1988
The Sydney Football Stadium (Allianz Stadium) starts construction in late 1986. By its opening on 24 January 1988, the SFS cost $68M and is acclaimed as one of the best rectangular stadiums in the world.
Australian Cricket World Cup Cap (1992) by Albion C & DSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
1992
The SCG hosted four matches of the Cricket World Cup. The tournament was held at a number of major grounds throughout Australia and New Zealand.
It was the first world cup to fully embrace the innovations of World Series Cricket, such as full colour uniforms, white balls, black sight screens and day-night matches.
Sydney Olympics, Soccer Events Hosted At The Sydney Football Stadium (2000) by Photo: Hans Van De VenSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
2000
The SFS is the main competition venue for football (soccer) during the Sydney Olympic Games. Staging ten matches in seven days, the SFS attracts a total of 226,519 spectators.
Sydney FC Calls The Sydney Football Stadium Their Home Ground (2005) by Photograph by Hamilton LundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
2005
In the inaugural grand final of Australia's new domestic football competition the A League, home team Sydney FC defeat the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 at Allianz Stadium (then Aussie Stadium).
Wave Aid And Sound Relief Concerts At The Sydney Cricket Ground (2005/2009) by Photograph by Hamilton LundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
2005 - 2009
In response to natural disasters, Wave Aid (2005) and Sound Relief (2009) concerts are staged at the SCG. The concerts raise $2.3M and $5M respectively, for aid organisations at home and abroad.
Victor Trumper Stand (2008) by Photograph by Hamilton LundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
2008
The Victor Trumper Stand is officially opened on the Hill.
2012
The SCG becomes one of three grounds worldwide to host 100 Tests. Michael Clarke demolishes 'Tip' Foster's SCG Test high score of 287 (1903-04), with 329no against India.
New SCG Members Stands (2014)Sydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
2014
The new M.A. Noble, Don Bradman and Dally Messenger stands are officially opened.
Built on the site of demolished stands by the same names, the $197.5M development includes a 273m² digital scoreboard, Wi-Fi and IPTV connectivity, and over 420 HD TV screens. It is the most technologically advanced stand in Australia winning international awards.
Transforming the SCG (2014) by Photograph by Hamilton LundSydney Cricket & Sports Grounds
2014
The SCG is transformed into a baseball diamond for the opening round of the 2014 Major League Baseball on 22 and 23 March. Matches between the Arizona Diamondbacks and LA Dodgers draw crowds of 38,266 and 38,079.
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2015 - 2018
The SCG Trust continues to be world leaders in stadium technology, having integrated a precinct-wide digital strategy in partnership with Telstra. Late 2018, the SCG scoreboard was enlarged to 434m2*
