Farewell to St George Stadium Day
St George FC said farewell to St George Stadium on Saturday with a large gathering of players, past and present, fans and other well-wishers in a final opportunity to visit the iconic venue prior to its redevelopment as a Barton Park sporting precinct.
The Stadium was opened in March 1978 with the first match against the visiting South Melbourne in the old National Soccer League.
Present at the farewell on Saturday were two Saints players who played in that game, George Harris and Peter Terry, a final return to the ground some 44 years after that initial match.
The venue was the prime Sydney boutique football stadium in its heyday and featured Australian Socceroo, Olympic and U20 international matches, various touring teams, and also hosted national club championships.
St George won its only national league title in 1983, claiming the Championship on the ground in a last gasp last round 4-0 victory over Brisbane City. Dez Marton, scorer of the opening goal in that game and one of the greatest of Saints strikers, also attended, providing his large collection of St George Budapest jerseys for the day, stating “I can’t believe I can still fit into these jerseys!”.
Some of the many in attendance included a trio of players from the 1987 NSL Grand Final winning squad, Zoran Ilic, Michael Grbevski and Pedro Ricoy. St George triumphed over APIA Leichhardt 4-0 in that memorable final. Ross Warren too made the trip, a Budapest player from 1961 and 1962, as did Trixie Tagg, a member of the all conquering St George Budapest Ladies team from the 1970s.
The club was honoured that Robert Koenig and John Koenig could attend, son and grandson of the late Steven Koenig, known as the “Father of the Stadium”, and who was the principal driver in having the stadium built.
As part of the fan-fest, there was sporting trophies, including the 1971 Japan International Tournament trophy, newspaper clippings, old jerseys, match programmes as well as other memorabilia.
The farewell gave the younger generation of players the opportunity to speak and get a few tips from the St George legends. Dean Petranker who has been playing football for St George FC since under 9s and who is now playing for the under 16s said, “it was really nice to meet and speak to some of the older players and to understand their passion for the club”.
St George FC would like to thank everybody who attended on the day, and Mount Druitt Town Rangers who kindly provided our SAP opposition, helping to make the day a great success.
-St George FC Press Release
