Minister for Auckland Simon Watts said: \u201cThis practical first step paves the way for cricket and rugby to resolve long-standing legacy arrangements at Eden Park that are no longer fit for purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson said she wanted \u201cto see more sport, culture, concerts and major events in Auckland\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the experiences that showcase our diversity and help create a vibrant, globally connected city. Aucklanders love them, visitors come here for them and stay longer to enjoy everything our beautiful city has to offer \u2013 all while boosting the wider economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eden Park Trust Board chairman Simon Bridges said the agreement \u201cgives momentum to our future plans for Eden Park\u201d.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Auckland Rugby chairman Brent Metson said the organisation is \u201cclosing in on an exit strategy from Eden Park\u201d.<\/p>\n
Eden Park is an independent operator in Auckland\u2019s stadium network, which also comprises Go Media Stadium, North Harbour Stadium and Western Springs Stadium.<\/p>\n
After last week\u2019s foundation agreement there are plans to redevelop Colin Maiden Park, the home of the Auckland University Cricket Club, into a \u201cmodern, high-performance cricketing hub\u201d.<\/p>\n
The $10m upgrade will turn the venue\u2019s facilities into the home of domestic cricket in the city.<\/p>\n
The wicket block will be expanded and reoriented to go with a new outfield, embankments, a new pavilion and changing facilities, broadcast infrastructure and an all-weather grass training facility.<\/p>\n
Auckland Cricket will relocate permanently under the plans, while Auckland Rugby is yet to announce where it will be based in the future.<\/p>\n
Auckland Cricket used Colin Maiden Park as a home while Eden Park was redeveloped for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but the local sides have played at the Outer Oval, for the most part, since.<\/p>\n
\u201cAucklanders love their cricket \u2013 whether they\u2019re playing on a Saturday morning, watching domestic matches or supporting the next generation coming through,\u201d Simpson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis development will give them a home that reflects that passion and supports the sport for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
The all-weather grass training facility will be funded by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and replicate existing high-performance centres in Tauranga and Lincoln.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe upgrades to Colin Maiden Park are a huge positive for the sport,\u201d interim NZC chief executive Graham Parks said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn particular, all-weather facilities are increasingly important in building resiliency for a sport that is vulnerable to the impacts of weather.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur top cricketers being able to practise on grass, regardless of the weather in Auckland, is a development that is long overdue and something NZC is very happy to facilitate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The upgrades to the pitch block, outfield and embankments will begin shortly, with the intended completion date of January next year.<\/p>\n
After that, the new pavilion and indoor facility will replace the current set-up used by the Auckland University Cricket Club and become offices for Auckland Cricket.<\/p>\n
\u201cBringing all of these elements together creates a true home for Auckland Cricket,\u201d Auckland Cricket chairman Brendon Gibson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work to do and the timeframe is very tight, however, we are optimistic Colin Maiden Park will be ready to welcome cricket fans by January 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Auckland University Cricket Club and the Auckland University Rugby Football Club will remain based at Colin Maiden Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Minister for Auckland Simon Watts said: \u201cThis practical first step paves the way for cricket and rugby to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[95,51,6326,1887,16558,3468,8142,35702,71,12514,1044,17768,117,111,43,139,69,8143,6327,16674,61,1533,2963],"class_list":{"0":"post-380801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-and","9":"tag-auckland","10":"tag-biggest","11":"tag-countrys","12":"tag-cricket","13":"tag-deal","14":"tag-eden","15":"tag-exit","16":"tag-from","17":"tag-leave","18":"tag-management","19":"tag-means","20":"tag-new","21":"tag-new-zealand","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-newzealand","24":"tag-nz","25":"tag-park","26":"tag-rugby","27":"tag-stadium","28":"tag-to","29":"tag-will","30":"tag-zealands"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}