- North Harbour Stadium
-
North Harbour Stadium 
Location between Coliseum Drive, Albany expressway, Don McKinnon Drive and Oteha Valley Road, Albany, North Shore City Coordinates 36°43′37″S 174°42′6″E / 36.72694°S 174.70167°ECoordinates: 36°43′37″S 174°42′6″E / 36.72694°S 174.70167°E Opened March 8, 1997 Owner North Shore City Council Operator North Harbour Stadium trustees Surface Grass Construction cost NZ$41 million Capacity 25,000 Tenants North Harbour Rugby Union (Air New Zealand Cup) (1997–present)
Auckland Blues (Super 14) (1999–present) occasional
New Zealand Knights (A-League) (2005–2007)North Harbour Stadium is a stadium, situated in Albany, in North Shore City, in New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, football and rugby League are the only sports played on the main ground, as it is rectangular in shape. The neighbouring oval plays host to the region's major cricket matches. The stadium also hosts large open air concerts.
Contents
Notable events
It is the home ground for the North Harbour side in the ITM Cup. It typically hosts one Auckland Blues home game in the Super 14 annually. It has played host to several rugby union and rugby league internationals. The New Zealand Warriors NRL team often play warm-up matches at the ground.
It was the home ground for The New Zealand Knights, the one New Zealand soccer team in the otherwise all-Australian Hyundai A-League, from 2005 until their licence was revoked by the league at the completion of the 2006/2007 season.
It played host to the FIFA Under-17 Women's Football World Cup in 2008.
Radio Control Car Racing is occasionally held in a racetrack next to one of the carparks.
Layout
It has an official capacity of 25,000, for sporting events. The stadium has four seating areas – the main grandstand, on the southern side, which seats 12,000 and contains corporate facilities; an uncovered stand opposite which seats 7,000; and grass embankments at either end which each seat 3,000.
The stadium is lit by four 45m light towers.
Rugby World Cup 2011
New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup 2011 hosting rights in 2005, prompting a debate a year later in late-2006 as to which stadium should be used to host the final. North Harbour Stadium was a contender, but Eden Park and Stadium New Zealand were considered by most to be the two main options with North Harbour as an outsider. Eventually, the New Zealand government decided that Eden Park would host the final, with North Harbour as the official reserve option.
References
External links
- Official North Harbour Stadium Site
- North Harbour Stadium at Austadiums
Venues of the 2011 Rugby World Cup New Zealand Eden Park (Auckland) • Wellington Regional Stadium (Wellington) • Otago Stadium (Dunedin) • North Harbour Stadium (Auckland) • Waikato Stadium (Hamilton) • Rotorua Int'l Stadium (Rotorua) • Yarrow Stadium (New Plymouth) • Trafalgar Park (Nelson) • Rugby Park Stadium (Invercargill) • Okara Park (Whangarei) • McLean Park (Napier) • Arena Manawatu (Palmerston North)
A-League stadiums Current AAMI Park · Bluetongue Stadium · Ausgrid Stadium · Etihad Stadium · Hindmarsh Stadium · nib Stadium · Skilled Park · Sydney Football Stadium · Suncorp Stadium · Westpac Stadium (NZ)Former Occasionally used Adelaide Oval · AMI Stadium (NZ) · Canberra Stadium · FMG Stadium (NZ) · Parramatta Stadium · Port Macquarie Regional StadiumCategories:- Rugby union stadiums in New Zealand
- Association football venues in New Zealand
- New Zealand Knights
- Sports venues in Auckland
- Rugby league stadiums in New Zealand
- North Shore City
- Cricket grounds in New Zealand
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
