Colour postcard showing "the Oval" (1915). Click the photo for more details.

Many different sports clubs, such as the gun club and cricket club, met in Waterloo Park over the years. As the park developed more and more sports facilities were added to accommodate local athletics. In 1892, a quarter mile track surrounding a sports field was added.⁴⁰ This track was known as “the Oval” and was located in front of the Eby Farmhouse. The Oval was used for bicycle races, whippet races, and running races. In 1938, the track was in poor condition, so the decision was made to seed it over.⁴¹ The area later became the cricket pitch.

Waterloo Park Grandstand (c.1909). Click the photo for more details.

Not long after the track was built, citizens of Waterloo organized a private company to build a grandstand beside the Oval. The company was simply called the “Waterloo Grand Stand Co.” and was led by Aloyes Bauer, who was listed as the company’s contractor in the Waterloo Chronicle. The Park Board and the company shared in the costs. The grandstand was 84 feet long, held 1,000 people and had refreshment booths fitted underneath.⁴² The grandstand was completed in July 1894.⁴³ In 1920 it became fully managed by the Park Board, and in 1953, the grandstand was demolished.⁴⁴

Winners of Waterloo Tennis Club Junior Championship (1973). Click the photo for more details.

Part of the original park plan included grass tennis courts, and by 1900 two had been constructed. In 1915, the Waterloo Tennis Club formed and petitioned the Park Board to install two clay courts. The board agreed on the condition that they would pick the location and the club would cover the expenses.⁴⁵ Within twenty years there were four courts and a clubhouse located at the edge of the park, on Central Drive. The Waterloo Public Library houses a large portion of the Waterloo Tennis Club’s archive; visit the Ellis Little Local History Room to read more about the WTC.

In addition to tennis courts, baseball diamonds were added to Waterloo Park. As early as 1902, there were reports of the Waterloo Beavers baseball team playing in Waterloo Park.⁴⁶ Over the years a total of four baseball diamonds were built. In 2017, the City of Waterloo proposed a plan to relocate two of the baseball diamonds to other existing parks in the city, so that festival space could be built in Waterloo Park. The plan was met with controversary, and Aaron Hornostaj, former pro baseball player, was one of the loudest voices to speak out against the decision.⁴⁷ Despite the opposition, City Council stuck with the original plan to remove the two ball diamonds by 2020.⁴⁸

Waterloo Beavers Baseball Team (1918). Click the photo for more details.