North Harbour Stadium
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| North Harbour Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | between Coliseum Drive, Albany expressway, Don McKinnon Drive and Oteha Valley Road, Albany, Auckland |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Closed | Open |
| Demolished | N/A |
| Owner | North Shore City Council |
| Operator | North Harbour Stadium trustees |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | NZL$41,000,000 |
| Architect | Various |
| Former names | |
| N/A | |
| Tenants | |
| Blues (Super 14) (1999-Present) New Zealand Knights (Hyundai A-League) (2005-Present) North Harbour (Air New Zealand Cup) (1997-Present) |
|
| Seats | |
| 25,000 | |
North Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany on Auckland's North Shore in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997 after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby and soccer are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is strictly rectangular. The neighbouring oval plays host to the region's major cricket matches.
Contents |
[edit] Events
North Harbour Stadium is the home ground for two major sports teams:
- The North Harbour rugby union side in the Air New Zealand Cup.
- The New Zealand Knights, the one New Zealand soccer team in the otherwise all-Australian Hyundai A-League.
It is also the venue of at least one Auckland Blues home game in the Super 14. It has hosted several rugby league internationals, and it has also hosted rugby internationals. The New Zealand Warriors NRL team occasionally play warm-up matches at the ground.
It also hosts open-air concerts.
[edit] Current Seating
North Harbour Stadium has four main seating areas with an official capacity of 25,000. 19,000 (76%) of this capacity is seated, and the other 6,000 are on grass embankments.
- Main Grandstand — A futuristic looking structure with an arched roof, much like a minature version of Telstra Stadium's grandstands. It has three main tiers of seating, as well as a row of corporate boxes and several corporate lounges. A total of 12,000 can be seated, mostly under the roof. This is on the southern side of the ground.
- Open Stand — A single uncovered tier opposite the Main Grandstand that can seat 7,000.
- Embankments — At either end (East/West) of the ground, there is a single-tier grass embankment with a capacity of 3,000 people. The scoreboard is at the Western End, while the replay screen is directly opposite.
The stadium is well lit, with four 45m tall light towers.
[edit] Rugby World Cup 2011
North Harbour Stadium is currently being considered as a potential venue for the grand final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand's Sports/RWC Minister Trevor Mallard has stated that the two main options are an all-new $500M Stadium New Zealand, or a revamped $385M Eden Park. Mallard, though, has also stated that if the Auckland City Council cannot decide between the two, either North Harbour Stadium or Jade Stadium will host the final.
The North Harbour Stadium option has many advantages over the two Auckland options. At an estimated cost of $226M, it will be much cheaper to build than both Eden Park and Stadium New Zealand. Because of the stadium's 25-hectare site, the Resource Consents are already in place, and construction can start immediately, meaning the stadium can be completed by 2010 at the latest - comfortably on time.
The surrounding Albany area is rapidly expanding, with shopping centres, restaurants, and accomodation within close proximity of the stadium at present, and further developments planned - including a hotel.
Transport to Albany will be greatly improved by 2011, with the Northern Busway project scheduled to be completed in 2008, providing fast, efficient and frequent bus services from the Downtown Auckland. In addition, the Western Ring Route will provide an alternative route to SH1 for people travelling from the South to Albany. The stadium's large site ensures that carparking isn't an issue, and upgrades to roads and footpaths near the stadium will help ease the traffic bottleneck the stadium currently struggles with.
[edit] Upgrade Plans
The IRB demands a 60,000 capacity stadium to be delivered for the RWC. The North Harbour upgrade will consist of an extra tier of seating at each end of the ground, with a new grandstand on the Northern side having a similar design to the existing Grandstand, but on a vastly larger scale. These new additions to the stadium can be achieved with minimal earthworks, for $226M.
[edit] FIFA Under 17 Women's World Cup 2008
North Harbour Stadium will host the final of the 2008 FIFA Under 17 Women's world cup; other venues include Waikato Stadium (Hamilton), Newtown Park (Wellington) and QEII Park (Christchurch).
[edit] External links
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