View source for Rushton Park

{{Short description|Australian rules football ground in Western Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Lane Group Stadium<br/><small>Rushton Park</small>
| image = Rushton Park 06.jpg
| caption = Rushton Park, 2020
| fullname = Rushton Park
| former_names = David Grays Arena<br/>Bendigo Bank Stadium
| location = Dower Street, [[Mandurah]], [[Western Australia]]
| coordinates = {{coord|32|31|58|S|115|44|27|E|type:landmark|display=it}}
| built = 1960s
| expanded = 2009–2011
| owner = [[City of Mandurah]]
| surface = grass
| capacity = 9,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Lane Group Stadium |url=https://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/david-grays-arena |website=Austadiums |access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref>
| record_attendance = 9,000 <small>({{AFL WC}} vs. {{AFL PA}}, 3 March 2012)</small>
| tenants = [[Peel Thunder Football Club]] ([[West Australian Football League|WAFL]])<br/>Mandurah Mustangs ([[Peel Football League|PFL]])<br/>Peel Thunderbirds ([[West Australian Women's Football League|WAWFL]])
}}

'''Rushton Park''' (also known as '''Lane Group Stadium''' under [[Naming rights|ground sponsorship arrangements]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Nov 2021 |title=Welcome to Lane Group Stadium |url=https://www.peelthunder.com.au/news/21461/welcome-to-lane-group-stadium |access-date=15 Apr 2022 |website=[[Peel Thunder]]}}</ref>) is an [[Australian rules football]] ground located in [[Mandurah]], [[Western Australia]]. Having been in use as a football ground since the early 1960s, the ground is currently used as a home ground by three clubs: the {{WAFL|PT}}, competing in the [[West Australian Football League]] (WAFL), the Mandurah Mustangs, competing in the [[Peel Football League]] (PFL), and the Peel Thunderbirds, competing in the [[West Australian Women's Football League]] (WAWFL). Rushton Park is the only regularly-used ground in the WAFL that falls outside the [[Perth Metropolitan Region|Perth metropolitan area]].

==History==
The area that is now Rushton Park was first gazetted as a sanitation site on 20 August 1926, and was converted to a recreation reserve in September 1958, under the [[City of Mandurah|Mandurah Road Board]]. The reserve was named for Richard Rushton, a former local government commissioner, with the new name approved on 22 May 1972.<ref>[http://www.mandurah.wa.gov.au/mandurah.htm Mandurah] – City of Mandurah. Retrieved 4 April 2013.</ref> The park was first used for football in the 1960s by the Mandurah Football Club in the [[Sunday Football League (1984–2008)|Sunday Football League]].<ref>[http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=202 Rushton Park] – austadiums.com. Last updated 8 March 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> The ground held its first [[West Australian Football League]] (WAFL) match in April 1986 between {{WAFL|Per}} and {{WAFL|SF}}, with a record attendance at the time of 7,147 people.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games/view/3602 Round 2 – 1986] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> A further game was hosted in the 1987 season, between {{WAFL|EP}} and South Fremantle, with 4,547 in attendance.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games/view/3685 Round 1 – 1987] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> As well as football, the ground also hosted two [[cricket]] matches between a Western Australia Country XI and touring [[Sri Lanka cricket team|Sri Lankan]] and [[Tamil Nadu cricket team|Tamil Nadu]] sides, in 1987 and 1988, respectively.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/2/4528.html Rushton Park, Mandurah] – CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 February 2012.</ref> After the [[Peel Thunder Football Club]] was accepted into the WAFL for the 1997 season, Rushton Park became its home ground. The first game of the 1997 season, against {{WAFL|SF}}, drew a crowd of 5,781 people.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games/view/4574 Round 1 – 1997] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref>

Attendances declined during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with an average of around 1,200 attending games at Rushton Park.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games Bendigo Bank Stadium games] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> A match in 2000 between Peel and {{WAFL|EF}} drew only 815 people.<ref>[http://www.wafl.com.au/games/view/4907 Round 14 – 2000] – wafl.com.au. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> [[Australian Football League]] (AFL) [[NAB Cup|pre-season matches]] in 2004 ({{AFL Fre}} and {{AFL Kan}}) and 2006 ({{AFL WC}} and {{AFL StK}}), attracted crowds of 7,527 and 8,283 people respectively, with the latter a new ground record.<ref>[http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums_crowds.php?id=202 Rushton Park Crowds] – austadiums.com. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> In September 2009, [[naming rights]] to the ground were sold to the [[Bendigo Bank]] as part of a three-year deal.<ref>[http://www.footygoss.com/index.php/main/club_news/peel/view/rushton_park_no_more/ Rushton Park no more] – footygoss.com. Retrieved 2 September 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> A [[Australian dollar|A$]]9 million redevelopment of the ground, consisting of the construction of a new grandstand and facilities, began in February 2010, and was completed in June 2011.<ref>[http://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=407 Rushton Park Redevelopment to start in Feb 2010] – austadiums.com. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.garygray.com.au/media/kick-off-for-new-rushton-park/ KICK-OFF FOR NEW RUSHTON PARK] – garygray.com.au. Published 18 June 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> The ground hosted the [[2011 WAFL season#State game|2011 State Game]] against Queensland in June 2011.<ref>[http://www.footygoss.com/index.php/main/club_news/wafl_general/view/black_swans_win_wafl_state_game/ Black Swans win WAFL State game] – austadiums.com.au. Published 20 June 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.</ref> An AFL pre-season match between West Coast and {{AFL PA}} during the [[2012 NAB Cup]] was attended by approximately 9,000 people, setting a new ground record.<ref>Schmook, Nathan (2012). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120306014358/http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/129928/default.aspx Kerr's late sealer see Eagles pip Port] – Australian Football League. Published 3 March 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{austadiums|202}}

{{AFL Women's grounds}}
{{West Australian Football League}}
{{WAFL Women's}}

[[Category:AFL Women's grounds]]
[[Category:West Australian Football League grounds]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Peel Thunder Football Club]]
[[Category:Defunct cricket grounds in Australia]]
[[Category:Sport in Mandurah]]
[[Category:1960s establishments in Australia]]