Overview

Situated in New Lambton, about 6km west of the Newcastle centre. Originally intended as an international-class athletics stadium to be the centerpiece of a bid (which never eventuated) for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the International Sports Centre quickly became the home for Newcastle's major football codes, providing the attraction of not having a cricket pitch in the middle. Therefore, it was a controversial decision when a pitch was laid in the centre strip in the late 1970's.

The ground was host to the touring England team for two matches against a Newcastle eleven in November 1979. After the ISC was named as a venue for the 1981 World Youth Soccer Championships, the pitch was removed.

The ground became host to the Newcastle Knights rugby league team in 1988, after which it was rebuilt to become rectangular in shape, and was renamed Marathon Stadium after a naming rights sponsor.

(Rick Eyre, October 2000)