JE Hands Memorial Park | |
 | |
| 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 | 5000 |
| Record attendance | 6573 (1 April 1984 -WAFL match betweenEast Perth andSwan Districts) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | c. 1954; 71 years ago (1954) |
| Tenants | |
| South Bunbury Football Club North Melbourne Football Club (AFL) (2025-present) | |
JE Hands Memorial Park, more commonly known asHands Oval, is a stadium inSouth Bunbury, Western Australia. The ground is mainly used forfootball 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.[1] 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.[2]
The ground is home to the South West Football League headquarters and hosts its grand final each year, with 4075 spectators attending the 2024 grand final.[3]
The ground also hosted twoFremantle Dockers pre-seasonNAB Challenge in2009 and2011:[4]
In June 2025, the ground will host its first AFL match for premiership points whenNorth Melbourne hostsWest Coast in June 2025 as part of a three-year deal for North Melbourne to play two home matches in Western Australia, with the other match to be played atOptus Stadium.[5]
| 2009 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 14 March 2009 | Fremantle 20.6 (126) | def. | Carlton 12.11 (83) | Hands Oval (crowd: 5000 est.) | Report |
| 2011 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 5 March 2011 | Fremantle 9.14 (68) | def. | Western Bulldogs 14.14(98) | Hands Oval (crowd: 4000 est.) | |
Hands Oval has hosted threeList A cricket matches with theWestern Warriors as the home team:[6]
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.[7] A crowd of 2985 people attended the match:
| Perth Glory | 0 - 1 | Gold Coast United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Porter 23' |
Between 2022 and 2024, the stadium underwent a $17.5 million redevelopment. It received a brand new grandstand and new changerooms,[3][8][9] as well as coaches boxes and a media centre.[10]
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.
