Kingspan Stadium
Ravenhill
Kingspan Stadium is located in Greater Belfast
Kingspan Stadium
Kingspan Stadium
Location within Greater Belfast
Location85 Ravenhill Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Coordinates54°34′35″N 5°54′16″W / 54.57639°N 5.90444°W / 54.57639; -5.90444
Public transitBelfast Central railway station
OwnerIrish Rugby Football Union
Capacity18,196 (9,000 seated)[1]
SurfaceArtificial Turf
Construction
Opened1923
Renovated2009 and 2012/14
Tenants
Ulster Rugby

Ravenhill Stadium (known as the Kingspan Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby. With the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.

History

Ravenhill Stadium opened in 1923. It features an ornate arch at the entrance that was erected as a war memorial for those players killed in World War I and World War II. Prior to 1923, both Ulster and Ireland played games at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in Belfast.

Ravenhill has been the annual venue for the Ulster Schools Cup final since 1924, which is traditionally contested on St Patrick's Day. The stadium is traditionally the venue for the Ulster Towns Cup, played on Easter Monday.

Ravenhill has hosted 18 international matches, including pool games in both the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups. The most recent Ireland international played at the stadium was on 24 August 2007 against Italy in a warm-up match for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.[2] Prior to that match, Scotland was the last visitor in the 1954 Five Nations Championship.[2] Ravenhill also hosted the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship final in which New Zealand defeated South Africa.

Ravenhill hosted memorable Ulster games in the Heineken Cup. Ulster beat Toulouse 15–13 at Ravenhill in the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 Heineken Cup. Ravenhill then hosted the 1998–99 Heineken Cup semi-final in which Ulster defeated Stade Français 33–27. The most memorable moment in that game was when out half David Humphreys ran from the Ulster 10-metre line to score a try.

Ulster v Glasgow Warriors in October 2014 with the redeveloped main stand in the background.

On 5 June 2014, Ulster signed a 10-year contract with the Kingspan Group for the naming rights to Ravenhill, meaning that the stadium will be known as the Kingspan Stadium until 2024.[3]

On 30 May 2015, the 2015 Pro12 Grand Final was played at the Kingspan Stadium. Glasgow Warriors beat Munster 31–13.

On 26 August 2017, the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup Final was played at the Kingspan Stadium. New Zealand beat England 41–32. The semi-final matches and some play-off matches of the Women's Rugby World Cup were also played at the stadium.

2009 Redevelopment

East Terrace and Premium Stand post 2009 renovations
East terrace and Premium Stand post 2009 renovations
Ravenhill post both redevelopments during a 2015 Heineken cup match

The new stand at Ravenhill was officially opened on 9 October 2009 by First Minister Peter Robinson,[4] before a match between Ulster and Bath Rugby.[5] The stand has however been in use since the first home match of the 2009–2010 season, against Edinburgh Rugby.[6]

The stand is on the Mount Merrion side of the ground, and consists of a terraced area, over 500 premium seats, and 20 corporate boxes.[4] The terraced area is now covered by a roof for the first time in the stadium's history. The cost of the project is approximately £4.5 million, and has been funded by a mixture of public-sector funding, sales of premium tickets and boxes, and loans from the IRFU.[7]

2012–2014 Redevelopment

In 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland. Ulster Rugby received £14.5m, which was used to redevelop Ravenhill and expand its capacity from 12,000 to 18,000.[8]

In 2012, Ulster Rugby confirmed that three new stands would be built at Ravenhill, with work commencing in late 2012. Two new stands at the Memorial and Aquinas ends of the stadium were completed while the main stand was demolished and rebuilt. The major refurbishment was completed in April 2014.[9]

Ireland Internationals

Ireland Senior Test Matches
DateCompetitionHomeAwayScoreAttendanceReport
9 February 1924 Five Nations  Ireland  England 3–14 15,000 [10]
14 March 1925 Five Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 19–3 [11]
23 January 1926 Five Nations  Ireland  France 11–0 20,000 [12]
28 January 1928 Five Nations  Ireland  France 12–8 20,000 [13]
9 March 1929 Five Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 5–5 [14]
25 January 1930 Five Nations  Ireland  France 0–5 25,000 [15]
14 March 1931 Five Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 3–15 30,000 [16]
11 March 1933 Home Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 10–5 [17]
9 March 1935 Home Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 9–3 35,000 [18]
3 April 1937 Home Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 5–3 20,000 [19]
11 March 1939 Home Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 0–7 28,000 [20]
13 March 1948 Five Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 6–3 32,000 [21]
11 March 1950 Five Nations  Ireland Wales Wales 3–6 [22]
24 January 1953 Five Nations  Ireland  France 16–3 38,000 [23]
27 February 1954 Five Nations  Ireland  Scotland 6–0 [24]
24 August 2007 2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches  Ireland  Italy 23–20 14,100 [2][25]
Ireland's Record at the Ravenhill
Competition Played Won Drawn Lost  % Won
Test Match1100100%
Home/Five Nations1591560%
Total16101562.5%
This table does not include the results of the Ireland Wolfhounds, Ireland A, Ireland B or the Ireland U25 sides.

Updated 21 April 2021[2][26]

Rugby World Cup Matches

14 October 1991
Japan 52–8 Zimbabwe
Try: Horikoshi
Kutsuki (2)
Mashuho (2)
Yoshida (2)
Matsuo
Luaiufi
Con: Hosokawa (5)
Pen: Hosokawa		(Report)Try: Tsimba
Nguruve
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Rene Hourquet (France)
3 October 1999
Australia 57–9 Romania
Try: Horan 2' m
Kefu (3) 7' c, 25' c, 78' c
Little 41' m
Roff (2) 43' c, 48' m
Paul 64' c
Burke 67' c
Con: Eales
Burke (5)		(Report)Pen: Mitu (3) 12', 70', 74'
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)

Ulster Home Attendance

Domestic League European Cup Total
League Fixtures Average Attendance Highest Lowest League Fixtures Average Attendance Highest Lowest Total Attendance Average Attendance
– – – – – 1995–96 Heineken Cup 1 2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500
– – – – – 1996–97 Heineken Cup 2 5,750 8,000 3,500 11,500 5,750
– – – – – 1997–98 Heineken Cup 3 2,617 3,250 2,100 7,850 2,617
– – – – – 1998–99 Heineken Cup 5 11,000 20,000 4,500 55,000 11,000
– – – – – 1999–00 Heineken Cup 3 8,667 12,000 6,000 26,000 8,667
– – – – – 2000–01 Heineken Cup 3 12,500 13,500 12,000 37,500 12,500
2001–02 Celtic League 4 8,500 12,000 6,000 2001–02 Heineken Cup 3 11,833 13,000 10,000 69,500 9,929
2002–03 Celtic League 4 8,375 10,500 6,000 2002–03 Heineken Cup 3 11,717 12,500 11,000 68,650 9,807
2003–04 Celtic League 12• 6,863 12,000 5,041 2003–04 Heineken Cup 3 11,489 12,300 10,243 116,819 7,788
2004–05 Celtic League 10 6,693 8,145 5,638 2004–05 Heineken Cup 3 9,452 11,435 7,320 95,283 7,330
2005–06 Celtic League 10 9,181 12,300 6,487 2005–06 Heineken Cup 3 12,284 12,300 12,252 128,665 9,897
2006–07 Celtic League 10 10,207 12,900 7,429 2006–07 Heineken Cup 3 12,599 12,772 12,278 139,862 10,759
2007–08 Celtic League 9 9,661 13,132 6,592 2007–08 Heineken Cup 3 10,335 13,000 8,340 117,956 9,830
2008–09 Celtic League 9 9,085 13,500 7,368 2008–09 Heineken Cup 3 9,329 10,397 8,729 109,752 9,146
2009–10 Celtic League 9 8,863 11,800 7,334 2009–10 Heineken Cup 3 10,509 11,000 8,262 109,947 9,162
2010–11 Celtic League 11 8,476 11,426 6,651 2010–11 Heineken Cup 3 8,863 10,566 7,777 119,829 8,559
2011–12 Pro12 11 8,258 11,379 6,296 2011–12 Heineken Cup 3 9,593 11,900 7,494 119,620 8,544
2012–13 Pro12 12 10,373 11,078 8,108 2012–13 Heineken Cup 3 11,123 11,451 10,940 157,840 10,523
2013–14 Pro12 11 13,348 16,950 10,693 2013–14 Heineken Cup 4 14,464 16,853 12,977 204,678 13,645
2014–15 Pro12 11 16,037 17,139 13,501 2014–15 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 16,179 16,931 15,659 224,946 16,068
2015–16 Pro12 11 15,310 17,332 12,640 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 16,111 17,108 15,108 216,740 15,481
2016–17 Pro12 11 15,961 17,676 13,663 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 16,028 16,843 14,924 223,658 15,976
2017–18 Pro14 12* 14,026 17,631 7,014 2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 15,314 15,646 15,004 214,247 14,283
2018–19 Pro14 11 13,835 17,358 11,882 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 14,039 16,842 12,124 194,300 13,879
2019–20 Pro14 7‡ 13,818 17,483 10,975 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 17,024 17,923 15,466 147,796 14,780
2020–21 Pro14
Pro14 Rainbow Cup		 0‡ – – – 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup 0‡ – – – – –
2021–22 United Rugby Championship 10 11,696 16,274 9,542 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup 3 14,969 18,196 12,000 161,869 12,452
2022–23 United Rugby Championship 10 13,413 16,741 10,858 2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup 1 18,196 18,196 18,196 152,330 13,848
 •Match figures inclusive of both Celtic League and Celtic Cup fixtures.
 *Match figures inclusive of both Pro14 League fixtures and a European Champions Cup playoff fixture.
 ‡Match figures include fixtures in which COVID-19 restrictions limited attendance, but exclude fixtures in which no spectators were allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Up to date as of the 2022–23 season.

Key
 Record high
 Record low
*Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

Ravenhill Facilities Prior to Redevelopment

View from grandstand
Grandstand
View from grandstand
Old Ravenhill grandstand

References

  1. ↑ "KINGSPAN STADIUM". Ulster Rugby. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Late O'Gara Try Leads Ireland To Ravenhill Win". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Ulster Rugby agrees stadium naming rights deal with Kingspan Archived 6 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Ulster Rugby, 05/06/14
  4. 1 2 "Rugby fans line out for grandstand view - Local & National, News". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "BBC Sport - Rugby Union - Ulster 26-12 Bath". BBC News. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "Sat, Sep 19, 2009 - Ulster play the rugby but lose their way". The Irish Times. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Archived 2 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Stadiums fit for our heroes on way at last - Belfast Telegraph, 11/03/11
  9. ↑ Plans for Ravenhill refurbishment are unveiled - BBC News, 24 January 2012
  10. ↑ "Six Nations 1924". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "FIVE NATIONS - Belfast, 14 March 1925". espnscrum. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Six Nations 1926". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Six Nations 1928". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "FIVE NATIONS - Belfast, 9 March 1929". espnscrum. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "Six Nations 1930". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  16. ↑ "Six Nations 1931". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "HOME NATIONS - Belfast, 11 March 1933". espnscrum. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Six Nations 1935". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Six Nations 1937". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  20. ↑ "Six Nations 1939". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  21. ↑ "Six Nations 1948". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "FIVE NATIONS - Belfast, 11 March 1950". espnscrum. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Six Nations 1953". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  24. ↑ "FIVE NATIONS - Belfast, 27 February 1954". espnscrum. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "Ireland 23-20 Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Team History Archive". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  27. ↑ "A solid but laboured Irish display suffices". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  28. ↑ "A team out of their depth". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  29. ↑ "Japan find Irish too hot to handle". Irish Times. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  30. ↑ "A-Plus French Far Too Good for Ireland". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  31. ↑ "All Blacks too strong for Ireland A". Irish Times. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  32. ↑ "Triple Joy for Ireland in Try Blitz". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  33. ↑ "Ireland A lose to French". RTE. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  34. ↑ "IRELAND A 5 V 32 ENGLAND SAXONS". Ulster Rugby. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  35. ↑ "Ireland A 48-19 Tonga". 13 November 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  36. ↑ "Ireland Wolfhounds 34-19 Scotland A". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  37. ↑ "Determined Wolfhounds too strong for Scotland". Irish Times. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  38. ↑ "Wolfhounds 20-11 England Saxons". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 October 2021.

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