Originally an Australian rules football (and later cricket) oval, it became a primarily rugby league venue in the 1920s as that code experienced an explosion in local popularity.

A reformed Ipswich club also participated in the early years of the Queensland Australian Football League competition from 1905, using the oval as its base.

[6] Many other prominent Australian rules matches were played there until the code's centre of popularity began to gradually shift from Ipswich to Brisbane in the 20th century.

[citation needed] The first recorded Rugby Union match at the ground was in 1878 upon insistence of the Brisbane Football Club which had switched to the code.

[10] In the 1980s it became home to the Ipswich Jets who entered the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1986 attracting interest and crowds to the venue.