Elphin Sports Centre

Elphin Sports Centre
Map
Former namesDowling Street Stadium
LocationLaunceston, Tasmania
Coordinates41°25′52″S 147°09′09″E / 41.431181°S 147.152592°E / -41.431181; 147.152592
Construction
Broke ground1964
Opened1965
Tenants
Launceston Casino City (NBL) (1980–1982)
Launceston Tornadoes (NBL1 South)

The Elphin Sports Centre (formerly known as Dowling Street Stadium) is an indoor sporting venue located in Launceston, Tasmania. Construction commenced at the centre in 1964 and was opened in August the following year.[1][2]

Launceston Casino City played in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 1980 and 1982. During this time, they played their home games at Dowling Street Stadium.[3] Casino City's 1981 championship banner hung on the wall of the old Dowling St courts for many years until being packed up and forgotten about following renovations.[4] In 2009, a public plea was made to help locate the championship banner.[5] The banner was found in a Hobart shed in 2019[6] and was later unveiled at the Silverdome by the Tasmania JackJumpers in 2023.[7] As of October 2024, the 1981 championship banner was being restored with the intent to display it at the Elphin Sports Centre.[8]

  1. ^ Green, Anne (2006). The Home of Sports and Manly Exercise : Places of Leisure in Launceston. Launceston City Council. ISBN 0-9596090-7-5.
  2. ^ "History of Elphin Sports Centre". elphinsportscentre.org.au. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Launceston Casino City". andthefoul.net. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Flashback: Paying homage to Tasmania's first NBL title". NBL Official Website. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Hunt for Casino City's lost silverware". The Examiner. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  6. ^ Mathieson, Andrew (4 September 2019). "Unfurling the Past: A lost tale of a former NBL club". The Examiner. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  7. ^ Tuxworth, Jon (18 January 2023). "Launceston Casino City's long lost NBL championship flag to finally be unveiled". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Launceston's Basketball Legacy in Round 7 at the Silverdome". Tasmania JackJumpers | Official NBL Website. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.