Welagedara Stadium

Welagedara Stadium is a cricket ground first and foremost, hosting the domestic matches for Wayamba and the local youth side. The surface is natural grass and it has seen a major refurbishment in 2011 that widened the square and added floodlights. Spectators stand close to the action on the dirt banks along the boundary, often waving flags of blue, red and yellow, without the barrier of high concrete walls that separate crowds from the play in the newer venues. It is a working ground for the school rivalries as much as for the senior teams, and the proximity of the Maligapitiya International Sports Complex, which opened in 2021, means Welagedara has lost its monopoly as the city’s main venue, though it retains a quieter, older atmosphere. The capacity is small, around ten thousand, and the lack of capacity figures in the records suggests it is not a destination for standard tours, but a place where the game is played out against the backdrop of the hill rather than a stadium bowl.