WikiMini

Trinity College Rugby Stadium

Trinity College Rugby Stadium
  • ත්‍රිත්ව විද්‍යාලයීය රග්බි ක්‍රීඩාංගණය
  • டிரினிட்டி கல்லூரி ரக்பி மைதானம்
Lion's Den
Map
AddressPallekele, Sri Lanka
Coordinates7°16′45″N 80°42′34″E / 7.27907°N 80.70931°E / 7.27907; 80.70931
OwnerTrinity College
OperatorTrinity College
TypeStadium
Genre(s)Rugby and football
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground31 October 1993; 31 years ago (1993-10-31)
Opened3 May 1997; 28 years ago (1997-05-03)
Tenants
  • Trinity College Rugby
  • Trinity College Football
Website
trinitycollege.lk

Trinity College Rugby Stadium, also known as the Lion's Den, is a rugby union and football stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. It is owned by Trinity College, Kandy and serves as the home ground for the Trinity College rugby and football teams.

History

[edit]

Before the construction of the Trinity College Rugby Stadium (TCRS), Trinity College played its home rugby fixtures at Bogambara Stadium, Nittawela Rugby Stadium, or occasionally at the University Rugby Football Ground in Peradeniya. Rugby practices, training matches, and inter-house competitions were held at Asgiriya Stadium, a venue owned by Trinity College.[1][2]

Given Asgiriya's status as a Test cricket venue, continued rugby use was deemed unsuitable. Due to Kandy's limited number of suitable sporting venues, Trinity College sought an alternative location to establish a rugby venue near the city. This endeavour was successful when President D. B. Wijetunga, through the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and with cabinet approval, granted the school a 4 ha (9.9 acres) land extent in Pallekele, about 12 km (7.5 mi) away from Kandy, on a 99-year lease for the construction of a rugby stadium.[3]

Construction of the TCRS began in February 1994, following an inaugural walk from the school to the Pallekele land on 31 October 1993, led by principal, L. M. De Alwis. Another walk from the school to the stadium under construction took place on 18 January 1997, coinciding with Trinity's 125th anniversary celebrations.

The inaugural inter-school rugby match at TCRS was contested between Trinity and Vidyartha College, Kandy, on 3 May 1997, with Trinity's 1st XV emerging victorious 31–7. The first Bradby Shield match hosted at TCRS was on 21 June 1997, when Trinity faced Royal College, Colombo, in the first leg of the 53rd encounter. Trinity won 14–6.[4][5]

Since 1997, Trinity College has hosted nearly all of its home matches from the schools rugby league at TCRS. Due to ongoing construction and facility improvements, Bradby Shield matches were held intermittently at Pallekele until 2012. Since then, Trinity has consistently hosted the Kandy leg of the Bradby Shield at TCRS.[6][7] The stadium is also referred to as the "Lion's Den", a commonly used nickname.[8][9]

Other uses

[edit]

TCRS serves as a venue for Trinity College inter-house rugby and football matches, as well as inter-school football matches.[10][11] Occasionally, TCRS has been utilised by Sri Lanka Rugby, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka,[12][13] and other schools from Kandy to host sporting events or tournaments.[14][15]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
Sources
  • "The Trinity Story 1872–2022". history.trinitycollege.lk. 12 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  • Perera, S. S. (June 1994). Royal vs Trinity – 50 Years of Bradby Shield 1945–1994. Bradby Shield Encounter Organising Committee.
  • Behind the Shield – the history, the heroes, the hearts of 75 years 1945–2019. Bradby Shield Encounter Organising Committee. June 2019.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Behind the Shield – The history, the heroes, the hearts of 75 years: 1945–2019". 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Back in the mane game". Quadrangle. 18 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  3. ^ Ratnayake, Ranjit (25 July 2010). "A salute from one old Trinitian to another". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  4. ^ Jayasekara, Bandula (15 June 1997). "Learn, depart or look to the end". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  5. ^ Seneviratne, Shane (22 June 1997). "Bradby Shield rugby – Trinity get slim lead in 1st leg". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  6. ^ De Joodt, Ken (23 September 2006). "Hemaka Amarasuriya – an amiable sports celebrity". Daily News. Archived from the original on 21 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  7. ^ Marikar, Hafiz (3 May 2015). "Bradby' time at Pallekele". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  8. ^ Peiris, Sudarshana (14 May 2016). "The Bradby shared as Trinity triumph in the Lion's den". ThePapare. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  9. ^ Jaleel, Shamseer (7 September 2024). "78th Bradby Shield Confident Trinity takes on Royal in lion's den". Daily FT. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Inter-House Rivalry Kicks off at Pallekele – Senior Inter-House Rugby Tournament 2022". Trinity College. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Inter-House Football Encounter 2020". Trinity College. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  12. ^ "All Island Under 16 10-a-side rugby kicks off tomorrow". Daily Mirror. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Trinity Under 20 Football team emerge group champions in the Sri Lanka Schools' Football Federation Tournament 2022". Trinity College. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Netball and football at Pallekele today". Daily FT. 6 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  15. ^ Dhananjan, Kevin (30 July 2023). "Pallekele Erupts as The Eagles Secure Super Round Spot". ThePapre. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
[edit]