Lancaster Park

Last updated

Lancaster Park
Lancaster Park aerial July 2011.jpg
2011 aerial view of earthquake-damaged Lancaster Park
Lancaster Park
Former namesJade Stadium (1998–2007)
AMI Stadium (2007–2011)
Location Christchurch, New Zealand
Coordinates 43°32′31″S172°39′15″E / 43.54194°S 172.65417°E / -43.54194; 172.65417
OwnerVictoria Park Trust
OperatorVBase Venue management
Capacity 38,628 [1]
Field sizeCricket Oval
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1880
Opened1881
Renovated1995–2009
Expanded2009
Closed2011
Demolished2012–2019
Tenants
Crusaders (Super Rugby) (1996–2011)
Canterbury (ITM Cup)
Ground information
End names
Hadlee Stand End
Port Hills End
International information
First Test10–13 January 1930:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of England.svg  England
Last Test7–9 December 2006:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
First ODI11 February 1973:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Last ODI29 January 2011:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
First T20I7 February 2008:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of England.svg  England
Last T20I30 December 2010:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
First women's Test16–18 February 1935:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of England.svg  England
Last women's Test29 November – 2 December 1957:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of England.svg  England
First WODI7 February 1982:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia v Flag of England.svg  England
Last WODI15 February 1999:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Only WT20I28 February 2010:
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand v Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
As of 26 April 2017
Source: ESPNcricinfo

Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthquake and demolished in 2019. [2] It has since been transformed into a public recreational park with facilities for community sport, and was re-opened in June 2022. [3]

Contents

The stadium was the venue for various sports including rugby union, cricket, rugby league, association football, athletics and trotting. It had also hosted various non-sporting events including concerts by Pearl Jam in 2009, Bon Jovi in 2008, Roger Waters in 2007, Meat Loaf in 2004, U2 in 1989 & 1993, Tina Turner in 1993 and 1997, Dire Straits in 1986 and 1991, and Billy Joel in 1987. However the stadium was primarily a rugby and cricket ground and was the home of the Crusaders rugby union team, who compete in Super Rugby, and the Canterbury cricket team. Its capacity was 38,628. [1]

History

Ownership

In 1880 Canterbury Cricket and Athletics Sports Co. Ltd was established. In 1882, Edward Stevens and Arthur Ollivier, as agents through their company, Harman and Stevens, arranged the purchase of a parcel of swampy farmland which became Lancaster Park. (The actual cricket ground was in low-lying area and sat on a large pool of saturated land.) Benjamin Lancaster, a farmer, was the absentee vendor. [4] [5] [6] Canterbury Cricket and Athletics Sports purchased 10 acres 3 rods 30 perches (4.426 hectares) for £2,841 at £260 per acre (NZ$ 1284.95/hectare). In 1904 Canterbury cricket would become the sole owner of the ground. Then in 1911 the Canterbury Rugby Union became co-owners with the Canterbury Cricket Association over the ground. An Act of Parliament in November 1919 vested title to Lancaster Park in the Crown, and established the Victory Park Board to take responsibility for its management.[ citation needed ]

JADE Stadium Limited was established in December 1998 to manage the existing facilities on behalf of the Victory Park Board and the Christchurch City Council. A five-member board of directors, drawn from Christchurch's business community and the Christchurch City Council, governed the company.[ citation needed ]

Official opening

In 1881 the first cricket match to be played on the ground was scheduled for the opening on 8 October, but it was cancelled because of rain. An athletics meeting became the first event held on the ground, on 15 October.[ citation needed ]

Financial difficulty

In 1912 a "Floral Fete", a festival, was held to raise funds to clear the debt of £2,000 in order to prevent the ground being cut up into building sites.[ citation needed ]

The financial difficulty the ground faced was so great that during New Zealand's involvement in World War I in 1915 the main oval at Lancaster Park was ploughed up and was used as a potato field in an attempt to raise more revenue.[ citation needed ]

Expansion

The embankment was expanded in 1957, increasing the capacity to 33,000. Two new stands were opened in 1965 further increasing the capacity to 38,500. In 1995 the Hadlee Stand opened in tribute to the successful cricketing family which came from Canterbury. The Hadlee stand was the first stand to be demolished due to earthquake damage. In 2000 saw the demolition of the embankment and No. 4 stand and the opening of the DB Draught stand (renamed the Tui stand in 2006) and the Paul Kelly Motor Company Stand (West Stand). Both stands sustained severe slump damage during the earthquake in 2011. Although deemed repairable it is unlikely they will be as the cost would be too expensive.[ citation needed ]

As part of a $60 million redevelopment for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the Eastern Stands (No. 1, 2 and 3 stands) were demolished and replaced with the new Deans Stand. The Stand was designed to reflect the newly completed Western Stand. The total capacity was 38,500 and was to be raised to nearly 45,000 with temporary seating for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, in what would have made it the second largest stadium in New Zealand after Eden Park. [7]

Deans Stand

On Tuesday, 22 April 2008 a press release was issued announcing that the new East Stand, built to replace stands demolished in 2007, as part of a redevelopment of the Ground, was to be named the Deans Stand when it was officially opened in January 2010. The Deans Stand had a seating capacity of 13,000. The stand was severely damaged in the earthquake when the piles it stood on were violently forced up and then down in a wave motion. It was slated for demolition.[ citation needed ]

The Deans name has been a part of rugby at the stadium for more than a century. Bob Deans was an All Black and also captained the Canterbury rugby team, Bruce and Robbie Deans were both All Blacks and members of the Canterbury team with Robbie also coaching the Crusaders, Bob's brother Colin played rugby at the ground, Bruce & Robbie's father Tony played cricket on the ground, and in the sixth generation of the family Milly Deans is a member of the Canterbury women's rugby team. The name Deans is also the family name of the first successful settlers in the city with brothers John and William Deans building their house in 1843. [8]

Earthquake damage

Lancaster Park during demolition in August 2019 Lancaster Park during demolition, Christchurch, New Zealand.jpg
Lancaster Park during demolition in August 2019

The stadium was closed because of the severe damage sustained during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. [9] Seven 2011 Rugby World Cup matches scheduled for the stadium in September were moved to other venues. [10] [11] Demolition of the stadium was largely completed by September 2019. [12] In 2025, the new stadium named Te Kaha is proposed to be finished for games within Christchurch's Four Avenues inner city boundary. [13] In the meantime, games would be played in the site of Rugby League Park.[ citation needed ]

Naming

Formerly known as Lancaster Park, the stadium was renamed Jade Stadium in 1998, after the naming rights were sold to Jade Software Corporation Limited. In 2007, the naming rights were sold to AMI Insurance Limited and the stadium was renamed AMI Stadium. The park on which the stadium stands has always been called Lancaster Park, so the formal name for the venue was "AMI Stadium at Lancaster Park".[ citation needed ]

Davis Cup (tennis)

The 1911 Davis Cup was played at Lancaster Park, [14] where Australasia as the defending champion was challenged by the United States. Rain delayed the beginning of the games scheduled for 29 December 1911, and the 1911 Davis Cup event was held between 1 and 3 January 1912. Australian Norman Brookes beat Beals Wright in the opening match. Rodney Heath increased the lead for Australasia by beating William Larned. Australasia retained the Davis Cup through a win in the doubles, with Brookes and Alf Dunlop being successful over Wright and Maurice E. McLoughlin. The fourth match was defaulted by Wright, and Larned stepped aside to give the younger McLoughlin the opportunity to play Brookes. McLoughlin led 2 sets to 1, but Brookes came back and won the match, and gave Australasia a clean 5–0 victory. [15]

Rugby union

The venue hosted 48 All Blacks test matches from 1913 to 2010.[ citation needed ]

2011 Rugby World Cup

The Stadium was scheduled to host five pool matches and two quarter finals at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and would be referred to as Stadium Christchurch owing to the IRB's advertising rules at venues for the Rugby World Cup.[ citation needed ] Owing to damage suffered from the earthquake that hit Christchurch and surrounding areas on 22 February 2011, Christchurch lost its rights to host the seven world cup games as the city was too damaged to host. [16]

Super Rugby

AMI Stadium was home to the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise. They have hosted four Super 12/Super 14 finals in 2002, 2005, 2006 and in 2008. Due to damage AMI Stadium sustained in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the Crusaders moved to Rugby League Park in Addington, renamed Christchurch AMI STADIUM to be used as their home ground for the foreseeable future. The ground has been rebuilt to 18,600pax. [17] Despite AMI claiming massive expenses, they still were able to buy naming rights to Crusaders temporary stadium. In the recent years, it has been renamed to Orange Theory Stadium.[ citation needed ]

NPC/ITM Cup

The stadium was home to the Canterbury team in the ITM Cup (now the Bunnings National Provincial Championship). The team moved to Rugby Park for the 2011 season but joined their fellow Crusaders franchise at the new AMI STADIUM, the former League ground in Addington for the 2012 season.[ citation needed ]

Ranfurly Shield

Canterbury have a proud Ranfurly Shield history. One of their most memorable moments was when they successfully retained the Ranfurly Shield against Waikato in 1954 with a last minute try. The conversion was never taken as the crowd rushed the field before the game could be completed.[ citation needed ]

Cricket

Cricket has long been played at Lancaster Park, which was built as a cricket ground. It staged the first Test in New Zealand on 10 January 1930, which was also the first Test played by New Zealand, in the 1929–30 series against England. Day/night cricket was made possible after the lighting towers were added in 1996—the first in a major New Zealand stadium. These were first put to use in 1997 when New Zealand played England in front of a crowd of 25,000. It was the ground where Richard Hadlee picked up the most 5-wicket hauls in New Zealand, his second century (151* against Sri Lanka) and his 400th Test wicket and where Nathan Astle scored 222 against England in a losing effort, including the fastest double-century in Test cricket. Brendon McCullum scored the fastest Twenty20 century against Australia at Lancaster Park, and a one-day-match fundraiser for Boxing Day Tsunami relief was held there in 2005, New Zealand against a World XI. [18]

Because of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and the liquefaction of the ground, One Day Internationals could not be played in the city until the upgrade of the Hagley Oval in preparation for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup as this was the only ground that had the capacity to host them. First-class matches have been moved to Rangiora Recreation Ground and Hagley Oval in Christchurch. [19] [20]

Rugby league

Lancaster Park has hosted matches for a number of clubs from the Australasian National Rugby League competition. The Wests Tigers and Sydney Roosters, who are both based in Sydney, have hosted matches at the ground. The 2011 ANZAC rugby league Test match was originally scheduled to be played at the stadium but was moved to the Robina Stadium on Australia's Gold Coast because of the damages from the 2011 Canterbury earthquake.[ citation needed ]

Rugby league test matches

Lancaster Park has hosted three New Zealand rugby league internationals since 1920. [21]

DateOpponentResultAttendancePart of
7 August 1920Flag of England.svg  England 3–1910,000 1920 Great Britain Lions tour
1 November 1996Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 32–129,000 1996 Great Britain Lions tour
28 October 200618–1417,005 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations

Soccer

Lancaster Park hosted an A-League match between Wellington Phoenix and Adelaide United on 30 January 2010. The match attracted 19,276 which was, at the time, a record home league attendance for the Wellington team, prompting suggestions Christchurch may be able to sustain an A-League team of its own. [22]

In the next A-League season the stadium was used again, for the same opponents encounter on 5 December 2010. A 14,108 crowd was the season-best record for Phoenix.[ citation needed ]

Concerts

Lancaster Park has hosted a number of concerts including U2 (1989 & 1993), Tina Turner (1993 & 1997), Dire Straits (1986 & 1991), Billy Joel (1987), Meat Loaf (2004), Roger Waters (2007), Bon Jovi (2008) and Pearl Jam (2009).[ citation needed ]

Religious events

In 1954 Lancaster Park held a Roman Catholic prayer rally drawing a large crowd. [23] Pope John Paul II also held a public mass on the oval in 1986, attracting about 25,000 people. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canterbury Region</span> Region of New Zealand

Canterbury is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,503.88 square kilometres (17,183.04 sq mi), making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of 666,300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crusaders (rugby union)</span> Super Rugby franchise based in Christchurch, New Zealand

The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in the competition's history and have won a total of 14 titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Park</span> Sports stadium in Auckland, New Zealand

Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is sometimes referred to as New Zealand's national stadium. The stadium is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer, and has also hosted rugby league and association football matches, as well as concerts and cultural events. It is owned and operated by the Eden Park Trust Board, whose headquarters are located in the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carisbrook</span> Former stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand

Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. In 1922, Carisbrook hosted the first international football match between Australia and New Zealand. The hosts won 3-1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Rugby World Cup</span> 7th Rugby World Cup

The 2011 Rugby World Cup, was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005. The tournament was won by New Zealand, who defeated France 8–7 in the final. The defending champions, South Africa, were eliminated by Australia 11–9 in the quarter-finals. The result marked the third time that the tournament was won by the country that hosted the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canterbury Rugby Football Union</span> Governing body for rugby union in New Zealand

The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Its colours are red and black in a hooped design. The CRFU govern the running of the Canterbury representative team which have won New Zealand's first-tier domestic competition National Provincial Championship 14 times including a "six-peat" from 2008 to 2013 – with five in the National Provincial Championship, two in the Air New Zealand Cup, five in the ITM Cup and one in the Mitre 10 Cup. Their most recent victory was the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup. Canterbury also acts as a primary feeder to the Crusaders, who play in the Super Rugby competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waikato Stadium</span> New Zealand sports stadium

FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold up to 5,000 people. The capacity can be extended, however, by temporarily adding 5,000 seats to the Goal Line Terrace area. The stadium, owned by the Hamilton City Council, regularly hosts two rugby union teams:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLean Park</span> Sports ground

McLean Park is a sports ground in Napier, New Zealand. The two main sports played at the ground are cricket and rugby union. It is one of the largest cricket grounds in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth II Park</span> Multi-use stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand

Queen Elizabeth II Stadium was a multi-use stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand, located in a large park called Queen Elizabeth II Park. The stadium had a capacity of 25,000 people and was built in 1973 to host the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, with a temporary 10,000 seat western stand erected for that event to take the capacity to 35,000. The stadium suffered some damage in the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake but was able to reopen, only to be damaged beyond repair in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trafalgar Park, Nelson</span> Outdoors sports ground in Nelson, New Zealand

Trafalgar Park is a sports ground located beside the Central Business District of Nelson, in New Zealand's South Island. The stadium has a capacity of 18,000, following upgrades completed for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It takes its name from its location on Trafalgar Street.

Alpine Energy Stadium, originally called Fraser Park, is a sports stadium in Timaru, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches. The stadium is able to hold 12,000 people or 12,500 with temporary seating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Deans</span> Rugby player

Robert Maxwell Deans is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans previously coached the Crusaders for eight seasons and was an assistant coach of New Zealand between late 2001 and 2003. As the coach of the Crusaders, Deans won three Super 12 titles and two Super 14). He also coached Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship, winning the title in 1997. As a player, Deans represented Canterbury, first playing at fly half, and later fullback. He also played nineteen matches for the All Blacks, including five tests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cricket in New Zealand</span>

Cricket is the most popular summer sport in New Zealand, second only in total sporting popularity to rugby. New Zealand is one of the twelve countries that take part in Test match cricket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hagley Oval</span> New Zealand cricket ground

Hagley Oval is a cricket ground in Hagley Park in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1867, when Canterbury cricket team hosted Otago cricket team. Canterbury used the ground infrequently from then through until the 1920s, but hardly stopped during World War I.

Village Green was a cricket venue in Christchurch, part of the sporting complex at Queen Elizabeth II Park. Between 1999 and 2011 it staged 31 first-class and 20 List A matches, as well as 28 matches in the women's inter-provincial one-day competition. It was often used for Canterbury's matches when Lancaster Park was unavailable. The ground was so severely damaged in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake that it could no longer be used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby League Park</span> Sports stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand

Apollo Projects Stadium is a sports stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was formerly called Orangetheory Stadium,AMI Stadium, and before that, the Addington Showgrounds.

The 2011 New Zealand rugby league season was the 104th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the National Competition run by the New Zealand Rugby League. The premier teams competed for the Albert Baskerville Trophy, which was won by the Auckland Pride when they defeated the South Island Scorpions 44 - 34 in the Grand Final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Christchurch</span>

Sport in Christchurch has developed from the time of the initial settlement of Canterbury by British migrants, and remains an important part of community life. Cricket and rugby union have been popular team sports since the early years of settlement, with the first cricket club established in the city in 1851, and the first rugby club in 1863. Interest in organised sports has diversified and now includes a wide range of codes. In 2022, the top five sporting codes in Canterbury based on club membership were netball, touch rugby, rugby union, golf and cricket.

References

  1. 1 2 "Archived copy". www.newstalkzb.co.nz. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Iconic Christchurch stadium revamped for community sports, after earthquake demolition". MSN .
  3. "Lancaster Park". Christchurch City Council. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. Miller, Graham M. (22 June 2007). "Stevens, Edward Cephas John 1837–1915". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  5. Greenaway, Richard L. N. (June 2007). "St. Peter's Anglican Church Cemetery Tour: Upper Riccarton" (PDF). Christchurch City Libraries. p. 51. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  6. Mosley, M. (1885). "Cricket". Illustrated Guide to Christchurch and Neighbourhood. J. T. Smith & Co. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  7. "Stadium opens after Cup facelift". The New Zealand Herald . 21 January 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.amistadium.co.nz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Quake-hit Crusaders to remain homeless". AFP . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  10. "BBC Sport – Rugby Union – Rugby World Cup matches moved from Christchurch". BBC News. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  11. "Christchurch City Council announce fate of remaining Lancaster Park facilities". 27 March 2017.
  12. "Christchurch's Lancaster Park stadium demo nears end". ccc.govt.nz. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  13. "Martin Johnson's shock at quake devastation – Rugby Union – Sport – Evening Standard". www.thisislondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  14. "1912". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  15. Cole, Charles (31 December 2011). "Cup's Christchurch ties". The Press . pp. B10–11. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  16. "Christchurch loses Rugby World Cup games". Stuff.co.nz. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  17. Gorman, Paul (8 September 2011). "League park Crusaders' new home" via Stuff.co.nz.
  18. McConnell, Lynn (22 January 2005). "Fleming crushes World XI with a 54-ball century". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  19. "Hadlee's pride at Christchurch rebuild". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  20. "Hagley Oval gets ICC accreditation". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  21. Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "Lancaster Park – Lancaster Park – Rugby League Project".
  22. Can NZ accommodate a second A-League team?, The Roar, Retrieved on 8 February 2010.
  23. "Family prayer rally". Press. 12 April 1954. p. 7.
  24. "[Untitled]". Press. 28 November 1986. p. 20.