 It was used mostly for rugby league matches and had a capacity of 10,000 people, with a record crowd of 11,685 recorded on 20 July 1988 for the Australia vs Papua New Guinea as part of the 1985 - 1988 Rugby League World Cup where the Aussies defeated the Kumuls by a then world record score of 70–8.The oval has hosted City vs Country (ARL), National Rugby League trial games, Brumbies vs Waikato Chiefs (Rugby union).The oval was named after Eric Weissel a state and national representative rugby league five-eighth who played in the 1920s and 1930s.