For the first few years of Northern Territory Rugby Union, the game lived a bit like its players, tough, nomadic, and making do with whatever patch of grass it could find. Matches were played at Alawa Oval, Nightcliff High School, Richardson Park, Nakara Oval and even on fields that doubled as cricket pitches, complete with uneven bounces and the occasional tree root.
Changing rooms were car boots, and scoreboards were more often beer cartons with tally marks.
But every sport needs a place to call home. For NT Rugby, that journey led to Marrara and the creation of Skyring Rugby Park, a place that would become the beating heart of the code in the Top End.
The Search for Somewhere to Belong
By the late 1970s, rugby in Darwin had grown beyond its humble beginnings. The Cougars, Souths, Darwin Dragons, Palmerston, Combined Services and Bayside all had teams. Juniors were starting to appear, women’s rugby was just around the corner, and visiting teams from down south needed somewhere decent to play.
What they didn’t have was a ground to call their own. Week after week, the Union had to beg, borrow, and negotiate for playing space. It made planning difficult and building a spectator base near impossible. Everyone knew the game needed a permanent home if it was going to survive.
Enter the visionaries. Men like NT Rugby President Nick Dondas and Kiwi carpenter David “Coops” Cooper weren’t content to just talk about it, they rolled up their sleeves. Dondas used his growing political influence to secure land at Marrara, while Coops and a crew of volunteers began the backbreaking task of actually building facilities.
Building from the Ground Up
“Facilities” might be too generous a word for those first efforts. The early Skyring Rugby Park was a collection of demountables, patched together by whoever had a spare weekend and a hammer. Toilets were temperamental, showers cold, and the lights when they worked attracted more insects than spectators.
But it was theirs. And that made all the difference. For the first time, rugby players in the NT had a ground they could call home. Training sessions became more regular, games could be scheduled with confidence, and the social hub of the sport began to take shape.
Coops, of course, left his fingerprints on everything. As a carpenter, he built and fixed anything that wobbled, though some swear you could still tell which walls were his handiwork because they leaned slightly after a Saturday night celebration.
A Hub for Territory Rugby
As the years rolled on, Skyring Rugby Park became more than just a playing field. It was the gathering place for the entire NT rugby community. Canteens were run by mums and dads, clubhouses became second homes, and the verandah was where stories got longer and laughs got louder.
By the 1980s and 90s, Skyring Rugby Park was hosting international sides, representative matches, and iconic events like the Casuarina Invitation games. The Hottest Sevens later added its own mark, bringing players from across Australia and the world to Darwin. Each time, it was Skyring Rugby Park that provided the backdrop.
And while the facilities have been upgraded (with fewer leaning walls, thankfully), the spirit of those early building days remains. Volunteers still cut the grass, patch the fences, and run the canteen. The sense of ownership hasn’t changed, Skyring Rugby Park is as much the community’s as it is the Union’s.
More Than a Ground
Ask any Territory rugby player what Skyring Rugby Park means to them, and you’ll hear the same themes: belonging, community, and memories. It’s where juniors scored their first tries, where women broke down barriers in the 1990s, where referees earned respect (and the occasional carton fine), and where families gathered every Saturday through the season.
It’s also the place where friendships were forged often stronger in the clubhouse after the final whistle than during the game itself. Skyring Rugby Park is where players celebrated grand finals, mourned mates who passed too soon, and told the same stories year after year, each time with a little extra colour.
Fifty Years On
Today, Skyring Rugby Park looks very different from its early demountable days. There are proper fields, grandstands, shaded areas, and facilities that can host international standard events. Yet at its heart, it’s still the same place Coops built with his hammer and Dondas fought for in Parliament: a home for rugby in the Top End.
For 50 years, Skyring Rugby Park has been more than just grass and goalposts. It has been a symbol of resilience, community, and that classic Territory spirit of “if you want something done, just get on with it.”
And while other codes might boast bigger stadiums or flashier clubhouses, few can match the story of Skyring Rugby Park a ground literally built by its players, volunteers, and supporters.
Because in the NT, rugby doesn’t just play on a field. It belongs to one.
Sources:
- Cramp, N (2001). Rah-Rah in the Never-Never – Founding Fathers and Rugby Park history (Dondas securing Marrara land, Coops building facilities)
- NT Rugby Union archives and club recollections.
