McDonald Jones Stadium

McDonald Jones Stadium, formerly known as Hunter Stadium, is the centrepiece of the Hunter Venues sports precinct. Originally known as the International Sports Centre, it was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on April 10 1970. 

This rectangular multi-purpose outdoor stadium with a capacity of up to 30,000 is home ground to the Newcastle's two flagship sporting franchises, the Newcastle Knights and the Newcastle Jets. The Newcastle Knights have claimed the NRL Premiership on two occasions in 1997 and 2001, while the Newcastle Jets were victors in the 2008 Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

The venue was managed by the Newcastle Knights from 1988 until 2011 when the NSW Government took ownership. McDonald Jones Stadium is part Venues NSW’s portfolio which includes ANZ Stadium and CommBank Stadium in the Greater Sydney region, WIN Sports and Entertainment Centres in Wollongong and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre and Showground in the Hunter region.

The venue has undergone a large scale redevelopment which commenced with the building of the Andrew Johns Grandstand in 2003. The following four years saw the demolition and rebuild of the Western Grandstand. The newly constructed Western Grandstand was first open to patrons in April 2011 for the Newcastle Knights match against St George Illawarra Dragons.