Jack Esplen Oval

Jack Esplen Oval
Jack Esplen Oval in August 2026
Interactive map of Jack Esplen Oval
Address249 Hawthorne Rd
Hawthorne, Queensland
Coordinates27°27′49″S 153°03′46″E / 27.463746°S 153.062785°E / -27.463746; 153.062785
Field size
157 m × 132 m (515 ft × 433 ft)[1]
Tenant
Morningside Australian Football Club

Jack Esplen Oval is an Australian rules football venue located in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne.[2] It is the home ground of the Morningside Australian Football Club in the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL).[1]

The ground is located in (and is sometimes also referred to as) Hawthorne Park.[3] The venue's clubhouse building includes a restaurant called the "Fifth Qtr Bistro".[4] It currently has limited spectator facilities and no grandstands.[5]

History

It is unknown when the ground opened, however the Morningside Australian Football Club have played at the ground since the clubs was formed in 1950.[6]

Morningside joined the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) for the league's inaugural season in 2011.[7] The first NEAFL match at Jack Esplen Oval was held on 3 April 2011, with Morningside defeating Brisbane by seven points.[8] Two NEAFL elimination finals – one in 2011 and the other in 2013 – were played at the venue.[9][10] Morningside left the NEAFL at the end of the 2013 season, although one match between Redland and Greater Western Sydney was played at the venue in 2019 as a double-header to a QAFL match featuring Morningside and Mount Gravatt.[11][12] Overall, thirty NEAFL matches were held at Jack Esplen Oval.[1]

In August 2017, the ground received an A$800,000 upgrade for new facilities, which were aimed at increasing female sports participation.[13] The upgrades were jointly funded by the Turnbull federal government, the Palaszczuk state government, Brisbane City Council, AFL Queensland and the club itself.[13] The club was the subject of legal action from Brisbane City Council in January 2018 over unapproved trenching work following the 2017 renovations, which caused damage to over thirty trees.[14] Further upgrades at the venue have since taken place, including a new shed that began construction in late 2022 and was opened in July 2023.[6]

The venue is named after Jack Esplen (1919 or 1920 – 2018), who was a key figure in the amalgamation of the Morningside and Hawthorne football clubs in 1950 and was later heavily involved in junior football recruiting until his retirement in the late 1980s.[15] He remained an active member of the club in his retirement, attending at least two matches per season until his death in 2018.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jack Esplen Oval". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 31 October 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Lions grab grassroots support". AFL.com.au. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Edwards, Shannon (17 March 2017). "A Q&A with Morningside AFL". Place. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Fifth Qtr Bistro". Morningside Panthers AFC. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Terry (12 June 2019). "Redland-Morningside links present as NEAFL returns to Jack Esplen Oval". AFL Queensland. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Morningside Panthers Get New Shed at Jack Esplen Oval". Hawthorne News. 21 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Glenday, James; O'Brien, Kristy (19 September 2011). "Thunder celebrate with eyes on another prize". ABC News. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Morningside 14.12-96 def. 14.5-89 Brisbane Lions". NEAFL. 3 April 2011. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Two NEAFL finals in Brisbane". AFL Queensland. 21 August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 December 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Panthers do it for charity". AFL Queensland. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "2019 QAFL Fixture Released". AFL Queensland. 6 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Collins, Ben; Michael, Luke; Healy, Jonathan (15 June 2019). "Around the state leagues: Jack out of the box, Hawk among the goals". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Morningside Panthers on the prowl". AFL Queensland. 19 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Bennion, Brian. "Aussie Rules club shocked by council legal action over trees". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 16 August 2026. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Rest in Peace Jack". Facebook. Morningside Panthers AFC. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
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