Beaton Park Stadium

Basketball centre in Gwynneville, New South Wales

Beaton Park Stadium

The Snake Pit

Location| Gwynneville, New South Wales
Capacity| 1,500[1]
Opened| 1965
Tenants
Illawarra Hawks (NBL) (1979–1998)

Beaton Park Stadium is an Australian basketball centre in Gwynneville, New South Wales. It was the home of National Basketball League side Illawarra Hawks between 1979 and 1998, and is the home to local basketball in Wollongong. It was nicknamed "The Snake Pit" during its time with the Illawarra/Wollongong Hawks.[2]

## History

[edit]

After the stadiums construction in 1965, a game between Illawarra and the Sydney Paratels opened the stadium.[2]

In 1979 the stadium was used as the Illawarra Hawks home stadium during the inaugural season of the National Basketball League. The Hawks remained at the venue until the opening of the 6,000 seat Wollongong Entertainment Centre in 1998, though they continue to train at the stadium and use it for pre-season games.[3]

The stadium has in the past hosted multiple Australia Boomers and Opals exhibition games in the past, as well as the Harlem Globetrotters, the United States women's national basketball team and multiple NCAA college teams.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ KEEBLE, TIM (25 October 2013). "Snakepit was Hawks' secret weapon". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
2. ^ a b c "History - Basketball Illawarra". SportsTG. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
3. ^ "Pre-Season Schedule Announced". www.hawks.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2020.

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Illawarra Hawks

Est. 1979 in Wollongong, New South Wales

Franchise|

* History

Arenas|

* Beaton Park Stadium
* Wollongong Entertainment Centre

League|

* NBL

Retired numbers (5)|

* 4
* 5
* 12
* 32
* 33

NBL Championships (1)|

* 2001

NBL runners-up (2)|

* 2005
* 2010

Rivals|

* Cairns Taipans
* Sydney Kings

Important figures|

* Larry Davidson
* Chuck Harmison
* Geordie McLeod
* Melvin Thomas
* Mat Campbell
* Glen Saville
* Oscar Forman

Sponsors|

* ahm Health Insurance
* Gujarat NRE
* Illawarra Mercury
* WIN
* McDonald's
* i98FM
* imb

Seasons (46)

1970s|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  1979

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1980s|

|  1980 |  1981 |  1982 |  1983 |  1984 |  1985 |  1986 |  1987 |  1988 |  1989

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1990s|

|  1990 |  1991 |  1992 |  1993 |  1994 |  1995 |  1996 |  1997 |  1998 |  1998–99

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2000s|

|  1999–00 |  2000–01 |  2001–02 |  2002-03 |  2003–04 |  2004–05 |  2005–06 |  2006–07 |  2007–08 |  2008–09

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2010s|

|  2009–10 |  2010–11 |  2011–12 |  2012–13 |  2013–14 |  2014–15 |  2015–16 |  2016–17 |  2017–18 |  2018–19

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2020s|

|  2019–20 |  2020–21 |  2021–22 |  2022–23 |  2023–24 |  |  |  |  |

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National Basketball League arenas

Main arenas|

* Adelaide Entertainment Centre
* Brisbane Entertainment Centre
* Cairns Convention Centre
* John Cain Arena
* MyState Bank Arena
* Qudos Bank Arena
* RAC Arena
* Spark Arena
* State Basketball Centre
* WIN Entertainment Centre

Secondary arenas|

* Bendigo Basketball Stadium
* Cairns Basketball Stadium
* Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre
* ILT Stadium Southland
* Nissan Arena
* Silverdome

Former arenas|

* Adelaide 36ers Arena
* AIS Arena
* Albert Park Basketball Stadium
* Alexandria Stadium
* Apollo Stadium
* Auchenflower Stadium
* Bankstown Basketball Stadium
* Beaton Park Stadium
* Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
* Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium
* Burswood Dome
* Cairns Pop-Up Arena
* Canberra Showgrounds
* Canterbury Arena (NZ)
* Carrara Indoor Stadium
* Challenge Stadium
* Chandler Arena
* Christchurch Arena (NZ)
* Dandenong Basketball Stadium
* Dowling Street Stadium
* Geelong Arena
* Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
* Keilor Stadium
* Ken Watson Stadium
* Kingborough Sports Centre
* Liverpool Basketball Stadium
* Margaret Court Arena
* Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre
* Mystery Creek Events Centre (NZ)
* Niels Hansen Basketball Stadium
* Newcastle Entertainment Centre
* North Shore Events Centre (NZ)
* Parkville Stadium
* Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium
* Perth Entertainment Centre
* Rod Laver Arena
* Singapore Indoor Stadium (SG)
* State Sports Centre
* Sydney Entertainment Centre
* The Glass House
* The Trusts Arena (NZ)
* Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre
* Townsville Stadium
* The Trusts Arena (NZ)
* TSB Arena (NZ)
* Whitlam Leisure Centre

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