Ravenhill Stadium

Ravenhill Stadium stands in south Belfast, a rugby ground owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union. It began in 1924 as a 3,500-seat enclosure built by architects Henry Hobart and Samuel Heron on the former Cooke RFC ground. A memorial arch at the entrance honours Irish rugby players killed in the two world wars. The ground has hosted Ulster Schools Cup finals every St Patrick’s Day since 1924 and the Ulster Towns Cup on Easter Monday. It has also staged 18 full international rugby matches, including pool games in the 1991 and 1999 Rugby World Cups. The stadium became Ulster Rugby’s permanent home after the club moved from the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in the 1920s. In 1998–99 it saw Ulster beat Toulouse 15–13 in the Heineken Cup quarter-final and then defeat Stade Français 33–27 in the semi-final, David Humphreys scoring a long-range try. Ravenhill also hosted the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship final, where New Zealand beat South Africa. In 2015 it staged the Pro12 Grand Final, Glasgow Warriors beating Munster 31–13, and in 2017 it held the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, New Zealand defeating England 41–32. Today Ravenhill holds 18,196 spectators after a 2012–14 redevelopment that added three new stands and a 3G artificial pitch. The Mount Merrion stand includes more than 500 premium seats, 20 corporate boxes and a roof over the terrace. Visitors find a modern stadium with clear sightlines, corporate hospitality suites and a programme of international, provincial and local finals. The memorial arch remains at the entrance, linking past and present.