About the Great Stadium
The well-known and massive GMHBA Stadium or Kardinia Park as it was originally called, is Victoria’s only venue for your regular Aussie Rules matches outside of Melbourne after being built in 1941. It is now home to the famous team known as the Geelong cats, and has gone through various stages and restorations to become the ultimate fans destination for events. Being in Geelong Victoria, it makes for a great outing in a beautiful location while supporting your local footy team.
With a capacity of 36,000 everyone can go and route either for or against the home team and push for the rivalry of a lifetime every competition week. Since the 19th century Kardinia park has been the holder of the football tourneys, and up until the 1940’s was the second stadium to hold the tournaments following Corio Oval stadium. Cario was the original home of the Geelong West and held regular football matches on their grounds up until World War two when it was commandeered by the military for their uses. Since then the beloved Cats have been the home team for the stadium gaining notoriety and proving their dedication to the sport. All opposing teams that end up here get sent to the “Graveyard” with the Geelong’s good record in victories over the years, with many more to come along with a greater fan base.
Why the Stadium is Unique
Although GMHBA Stadium is home to the prosperous Geelong Cats, over the years it has served a purpose in more than just one way. Being able to store a massive amount of room with the field being a whopping one hundred and seventy meters long and one hundred and fifteen meters wide, it was able to hold motorcycle rallies in the early 1900’s. Famous speedway races were held here with the famous Billy Pilgrim winning both years running. From then on, the stadium has been home to many different sports from soccer, motor racing, cricket and Football.
Bringing us back to the champion Geelong Cats AFL team we have here today. When the AFL comes to the stadium, fans could be in for a physical and enduring combat between the home Cats and the graveyard visiting teams. The consists of a total of 18 teams spread over five of Australia’s states.
Football is a high contact sport between two teams played on GMHBA Stadium’s oval field and calls for high endurance and physical perfection. The Geelong Cats and opposing team can stand anywhere on the field and use any body part to get the ball from one side to the other. Upon completing this task, they must kick the ball between two posts to earn their team six points, or between the goal or behind for one point.
Cats of GMHBA Stadium
The Geelong cats, nicknamed Cats were established in 1859, making them the second oldest club in AFL history. The club first established themselves in the VFA by winning 7 premiers making them the most successful VFA team leading up to the formation of the VFL.
Landing at GMHBA Stadium they have continued to win premiers and build rivalries along the way such as Hawthorn and Collingwood. The Club got their name “The Cats” after a string of losses, leading a cartoonist to say they needed a black cat to bring them good luck. Luckily for GMHBA Stadium that is exactly what seems to have happened with obtaining The Cats as their home team players. Always singing their team song “We Are Geelong” which gives those 36,000 the stadium fans something to roar along with while their home field advantage makes the spirits of the opposing team run straight to the loser’s graveyard.
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