Marrara Oval
View of the grandstand at Marrara Oval in March 2016
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| Former names | Football Park |
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| Location | Marrara, Northern Territory |
| Coordinates | 12°23′57″S 130°53′14″E / 12.39917°S 130.88722°ECoordinates: 12°23′57″S 130°53′14″E / 12.39917°S 130.88722°E |
| Owner | Government of the Northern Territory |
| Operator | AFL Northern Territory |
| Capacity | 14,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1991 |
Marrara Oval, currently branded TIO Stadium under a naming rights agreement (and previously also known as just Football Park), is a sports ground in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. The ground primarily hosts Australian rules football, cricket, and rugby league.
Marrara Oval was opened in 1991. It has a capacity of 14,000 people, making it the largest stadium in the Northern Territory. However, the ground has a record attendance of 17,500, set in 2003 for a football game featuring the Indigenous All-Stars. Marrara Oval has hosted at least one Australian Football League (AFL) game in every season since 2004 and at least one National Rugby League (NRL) game in every season since 2012. The ground has also hosted both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket fixtures, most recently in 2008.
Marrara Oval was officially opened to the public on 30 June 1991 as the new home of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), and was conservatively estimated as costing $8 million. The first game played under lights at Marrara was a match between Nightcliff and Southern Districts on 9 December 1994. Transport and Works Minister Daryl Manzie officially handed over the lights to the NTFL that day. Installing the lights cost $1.2 million. The light towers were constructed by Darwin firm Norbuilt.
In February 1992, Marrara Oval hosted its first match sanctioned by the Australian Football League (AFL), a preseason Foster's Cup fixture between Collingwood and West Coast attended by 11,000 people. Further preseason fixtures were hosted at the ground over the next decade, including several Indigenous All-Stars games. A 2003 match between the Indigenous All-Stars and Carlton attracted a crowd of 17,500 people, setting a new ground record. The first regular-season AFL match played at Marrara Oval came in round 20 of the 2004 season, when the Western Bulldogs hosted Port Adelaide.
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