Work began on the stadium on 1 December 1967, and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 10 April 1970.

The playing surface back then was originally oval shaped to allow both codes of rugby, soccer and cricket to be able to make use of it.

That year the Knights played Great Britain for a second time as part of the Lions Tour of Australasia.

The ground attendance record for a sporting event at the venue prior to the redevelopments is 32,642, which was set when the Knights took on the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in July 1995.

This consisted of: During the 2007 NSW Election campaign, the Premier Morris Iemma promised $30 million towards an upgrade of the stadium, conditional on the Federal Government matching the funds.

As part of the announcement, Morris Iemma stated that the capacity of 33,000 could be increased to the 40,000 necessary for World Cup Hosting, through temporary seating.

During the National Soccer League competition, three clubs have played their home ground games at this stadium.

In February 2017 it was announced that the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW Grand Final would be taking place at the ground in September that year.

The 2018 A-League Grand Final was held at the venue, contested by the Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory, on 5 May 2018.

The Hunter Eagles were formed for the 1994–95 Australian Baseball League season after purchasing the Sydney Wave's licence.

[21] The New South Wales Waratahs played a home fixture of their Super Rugby season from 2019 in Newcastle whilst the Sydney Football Stadium was rebuilt.

The results were as follows;[23] Hunter Stadium was also chosen as the host venue for the 2016 Anzac Test between Australia and New Zealand on 6 May.