Up until the 1920s,
Ulster and
Ireland played games at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds in Belfast. In 1923 the
IRFU purchased Ravenhill rugby ground, formerly the home of
Cooke RFC, for £2,300, and built a stand holding 3,500 spectators at a cost of £15,500, designed by Belfast architects Henry Hobart and Samuel Heron. Ravenhill has been the annual venue for the
Ulster Schools Cup final since 1924, which is traditionally contested on
St Patrick's Day. The stadium is traditionally the venue for the
Ulster Towns Cup, played on
Easter Monday. Ravenhill has hosted 18 international matches, including pool games in both the
1991 and
1999 Rugby World Cups. The most recent
Ireland international played at the stadium was on 24 August 2007 against Italy in a warm-up match for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. in place of the original grass pitch.
American Football In 1942, Ravenhill was the scene of the first game of
American football ever played on the island of Ireland, played between teams representing service and artillery units of the
United States Army stationed in Northern Ireland during
World War II before an audience of more than 8000. In 2022, Ravenhill hosted
Shamrock Bowl XXXIV, the annual championship of
American Football Ireland.
UCD defeated
Dublin Rebels in the game by a score of 52-24 to secure their first Shamrock Bowl title.
2009 Redevelopment The new stand at Ravenhill was officially opened on 9 October 2009 by First Minister
Peter Robinson, before a match between Ulster and
Bath Rugby. The stand has however been in use since the first home match of the 2009–2010 season, against
Edinburgh Rugby. The stand is on the Mount Merrion side of the ground, and consists of a terraced area, over 500 premium seats, and 20 corporate boxes.
2012–2014 Redevelopment In 2011, the
Northern Ireland Executive announced that it had granted £138m for various stadium redevelopment projects throughout Northern Ireland. Ulster Rugby received £14.5m, which was used to redevelop Ravenhill and expand its capacity from 12,000 to 18,000. In 2012, Ulster Rugby confirmed that three new stands would be built at Ravenhill, with work commencing in late 2012. Two new stands at the Memorial and Aquinas ends of the stadium were completed while the main stand was demolished and rebuilt. The major refurbishment was completed in April 2014.
Sponsorship On 5 June 2014, Ulster signed a 10-year contract with the
Kingspan Group for the naming rights to Ravenhill, meaning that the stadium would be known as the Kingspan Stadium until 2024. As the sponsorship deal approached its end, Kingspan agreed to extend it for a further year to allow Ulster time to find a new sponsor. In July 2025, Ulster signed a new stadium naming rights deal with healthcare provider Affidea. ==Ireland Internationals==