St George FC to step back onto Barton Park
St George FC will play their first matches back at Barton Park on the 4th of May, and they are planning a big day for the historic occasion.
There is an intrinsic connection between St George FC and Barton Park.
Founded in 1957, the then St George Budapest grew in the following years but were without a permanent home.
They saw establishing their own venue as the next step, and Barton Park was built in 1978.
A grandstand was installed a year later to increase the ground’s capacity to around 12,000.
At the time, Barton Park served a unique purpose in Sydney’s football scene, being one of a few specialised round-ball venues in the city.
Barton’s status saw it host many of the country’s premier fixtures from National Soccer League (NSL) finals clashes to Socceroos’ internationals.
It also holds a unique history for the Saints, as it was the side’s home during their only NSL premiership win in 1983.
They also claimed the Ampol Cup, now known as the Waratah Cup, during this period in 1982.
The venue began to decay after St George FC left the national set-up in 1991.
And in 2016, St George FC played their final match there.
Since then, Barton Park has undergone significant rejuvenation.
The Barton Park Recreational Precinct upgrade project has redeveloped the area around the old Barton Park Stadium.
The new facility includes three full-size football pitches and a smaller one.
One of the pitches has a grandstand to be named after club legend Frank Arok.
Arok coached St George early in the club’s history before coaching the Socceroos.
St George FC Chairman Bruce Spiteri said playing back at Barton Park for the first time helps the club keep its bond with the facility.
“It’s important to develop an understanding of what the club means to all of the players and feel part of something that is genuine,” he said.
“Our aim is to develop our young players with a sense of belonging to the club, which includes belonging to the facility as well.
“Our goal for the football club is pure and simple: to develop fine young footballers, to play good football, and to see those players we develop go on to have great careers, whether that’s in Australia or overseas.”
Spiteri also said that Barton Park can contribute to a bright future for St George FC and the wider community.
“The club has been struggling over the last few years to find proper training facilities,” he said.
“It’s been a credit to the parents, players and coaches who have had to put up with that dislocation.
“It’s about building a community spirit, community awareness and working with Council and with other community projects to make sure the facility captures all of its potential.”
St George have a lot planned for their return to Barton Park on the 4th of May.
The Football NSW League One Women’s clash between St George FC and Sutherland Strikers kicks off at 3:00 pm.
There will then be an official opening held with a parade of local and Skills Acquisition Programme clubs as well as former Saints players.
Following this, at 6:30 pm, St George host another former Barton Park native, Sydney Olympic, in the NPL Men’s NSW fixture.
Feature by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
