JE Hands Memorial Park | |
 Interactive map of Hands Oval | |
| Former names | South Bunbury Showgrounds |
|---|---|
| Location | Blair Street,South Bunbury, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°20′46″S115°38′34″E / 33.34611°S 115.64278°E /-33.34611; 115.64278 |
| Owner | City of Bunbury |
| Operator | South Bunbury Football Club |
| Capacity | 14,350[1] |
| Record attendance | 12,715 (8 June 2025 -AFL match betweenWest Coast andNorth Melbourne) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | c. 1954; 72 years ago (1954) |
| Tenants | |
| South Bunbury Football Club North Melbourne Football Club (AFL) (2025-present)South West Football League | |
JE Hands Memorial Park, more commonly known asHands Oval, is a stadium inSouth Bunbury, Western Australia. The ground is mainly used forAustralian rules football matches, but has also hostedcricket andsoccer.
The oval has been the home ground ofSouth Bunbury Football Club and in theSouth West Football League since the early 1950s.[2] Hands Oval has also hosted fiveWest Australian Football League matches, with the first being held on 1 April 1984 withEast Perth defeatingSwan Districts by 14 points. The record attendance for the ground was set during this match, with 6573 spectators attending the game.[3]
The ground is home to the South West Football League headquarters and hosts its grand final each year, with 4,075 spectators attending the 2024 grand final.[4]
The ground also hosted twoFremantle Dockers pre-seasonNAB Challenge in2009 and2011:[5]
Hands Oval hosted a pre-season match between theWest Coast Eagles andNorth Melbourne Football Club on 1 March 2025, with a crowd of 7,032.[6][7] On 8 June 2025, the ground hosted its first AFL match for premiership points, withNorth Melbourne defeatingWest Coast by ten points, in front of a record crowd of 12,715.[8] This was the first game in a three-year deal for North Melbourne to play two home matches in Western Australia, with the other match played atOptus Stadium.[9]
| 2009, Preseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 14 March 2009 | Fremantle 20.6 (126) | def. | Carlton 12.11 (83) | Hands Oval (crowd: 5,000 est.) | |
| 2011, Preseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 5 March 2011 | Fremantle 9.14 (68) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 14.14 (98) | Hands Oval (crowd: 4,000 est.) | |
| 2025, Preseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 1 March 2025 | North Melbourne 9.15 (69) | def. by | West Coast 11.5 (71) | Hands Oval (crowd: 7,032) | |
| 2025, RD13 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 8 June 2025 | North Melbourne 9.8 (62) | def. | West Coast 6.16 (52) | Hands Oval (crowd: 12,715 Ground Record) | |
Hands Oval has hosted threeList A cricket matches with theWestern Warriors as the home team:[10]
v |
South Australia won by 8 wickets. |
v |
Western Australia won by 5 wickets. |
v |
Western Australia won by 66 runs. |
Hands Oval hosted anA-League pre-season match betweenPerth Glory andGold Coast United at the beginning of the2009–10 season, with Gold Coast defeating Perth 1–0.[11] A crowd of 2985 people attended the match:
| Perth Glory | 0 - 1 | Gold Coast United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Porter 23' |
The ground hosted theAustralia women's national soccer team in a friendly vPanama on July 5, 2025, losing 0-1.[12][13]
Between 2022 and 2024, the stadium underwent a $17.5 million redevelopment. It received a brand new grandstand and new changerooms,[4][14][15] as well as coaches boxes and a media centre.[16]
Bunbury's Hands Oval has just had the finishing touches put on a $17.5 million redevelopment to build a completely new grandstand on top of what was previously the outdated South West Football League headquarters.
