More than NZD$18 million has been invested towards upgrades of pitches, lighting, clubroom facilities and changing rooms. The funding for the training venue upgrades comes from a variety of sources, including Auckland Council, central Government and contributions from local football clubs.
The investment into nine community parks and two stadiums (North Harbour Stadium and Waitākere Stadium) will leave a strong legacy for grassroots sport in Auckland.
In the lead up to, and during the World Cup, Auckland hosted over 120 training sessions for international teams, as well as hosting training for teams participating in the Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in February 2023.
Clubroom Upgrades
There has been upgrades at nine clubs to support the participation of women and girls at club level. Gender-neutral upgrades, in line with Sport New Zealand guidelines, include cubicle showers, privacy screens, cubicle toilets, baby-change tables and accessible bathrooms.
Highlights across the clubroom upgrade programme include:
- 17 new changing rooms, with 30 more upgraded
- Four new referees changing rooms, with four more upgraded
- 58 new cubicle showers and 40 new partition showers
- Four new accessible toilets/showers with baby change tables
- 37 new cubicle toilets, with 31 more upgraded
- Four new storage facilities for club equipment
Park Upgrades
Another significant benefit has been the upgrade of sports fields and installation of pitch lighting at training venues. New LED lights, installed across eight venues, meet New Zealand Football National League competition requirements and through strategic light design there is now an additional 15 floodlit fields adding over 60 hours a week to Auckland’s sports field network supporting the development of strong clubs and healthier communities.
13 sports fields were rebuilt or upgraded to meet FIFA and team requirements for the tournament. The quality of these sports fields is unprecedented, and Auckland Council is now working with clubs to retain the quality of those surfaces for the benefit of local communities.
As part of this project, a number of wider park improvements, such as the installation or upgrade of new paths, planting, fencing, car parks and haul roads were also carried out. The table below details the legacy upgrades to the nine clubs and community sports fields in Auckland.
Football Club / Park | Clubroom Upgrades | Park Upgrades |
Māngere United / Māngere Centre Park | Upgrade of four changing rooms with non-slip flooring, three new cubicle showers with one toilet in each, new grooming stations, benches and paint refresh.
Upgrade of the lounge with new carpet and heating, plus fibre connection to meet FIFA wifi requirements. | Sports field construction including install of new drains and remote operation pop-up irrigation system, development of sand carpet layer and new turf establishment.
Design and installation of new 18m LED lights to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications. The same poles also light one side of the adjacent field to create additional training space.
The centre light pole in front of club is removable, so it can be moved to field 3 post WC to increase the lit capacity of adjacent fields. |
Western Springs / Seddon Fields | Upgrade of five changing rooms with non-slip flooring with three cubicle showers in each. New grooming stations, toilet upgrades and paint refresh throughout the changing rooms and lounge.
Referees room upgrade included the provision of a new shower, sink and lockers for increased usability. | Sports field renovation including flushing of drains, renewal of sand carpet layer and new turf establishment, plus new irrigation pump installed.
Existing training standard lighting (at end of life) was removed and replaced with new 18m LED lights to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications.
A new path was built over boggy ground connecting the changing rooms to the sports field and landscaping work completed. |
Bay Olympic / Olympic Park | Upgrade of five changing rooms with non-slip flooring, 11 new cubicle showers, two new cubicle toilets and upgrade of existing facilities.
The building exterior was repainted, along with deck waterproofing and an upgrade of the lounge carpet and lighting undertaken. | Sports field renovation including flushing of drains, intensive coring of existing sand carpet layer and new turf establishment. Install of a new IP rated irrigation control box.
Design and installation of new 25m LED lights on the outside of the velodrome to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications. |
East Coast Bays / Bay City Park | Removal of structural walls to create two large changing rooms with 7 new cubicle showers, plus, cosmetic upgrade of four changing rooms, all with non-slip flooring and privacy screens.
A new hot water system was installed under the grandstand and new accessible changing and referee facilities (with lockers) were built. The clubroom lounge and exterior was also repainted. | Sports field renovation of two fields including flushing of drains, intensive coring of existing sand carpet layer and new turf establishment.
Upgrades to planting, park fencing, ball stop fencing, stairs and paths connecting the clubroom to the field and car park were also undertaken. |
Birkenhead United / Shepherds Park | Funding provided to support delivery of an existing club-led building extension project. Four new dry team changing rooms, a referee room, accessible toilet and first aid room were also built, with a central corridor of 16 cubicle showers and 8 toilets. Non-slip flooring was installed throughout.
A covered deck on the upper floor connected to old clubrooms and accessibility for wider park users was improved with a new path in front of the clubroom. | Sports field renovation including flushing of drains, intensive coring of existing sand carpet and new turf establishment. Plus, 5m extension to field 1 and new irrigation pump installed. Field 2 was upgraded at the same time as part of planned council renewals.
Design and installation of new 25m LED lights to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications, replacing training standard lighting that will be re-used at another park.
Upgrades to car park layout, pitch fencing, bollards, park pathways and connections to residential areas were carried out in conjunction with local area funding. |
Auckland United / Keith Hay Park | New storage shed built for club equipment, to enable flexible use of the existing storage space by team. Fibre connection to filming tower to meet FIFA requirements. | Full sports field upgrade including new drainage, sand carpet, new turf and irrigation. Installation of six tanks to capture rainwater for field irrigation and to help future-proof the park for further sports field development.
Design and installation of new 18m LED lights to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications. |
Ellerslie AFC / Michaels Avenue Reserve | Funding provided to support delivery of an existing new build project the club had been leading for many years.
Funding was tagged to the completion of the upper floor and targeted gender-neutral changes to the existing changing room design. Lower floor upgrades included 8 team and 2 referee changing rooms, an accessible changing room and 40 partition showers. | Sports field renovation including flushing of drains, renewal of sand carpet layer and new turf establishment. Install of additional catchpits and perimeter drains to prevent surface water from surrounding areas egressing into the sports fields.
Upgrade of existing light fittings on existing poles to LEDs to meet FIFA specifications.
New path and additional turf installed in front of clubroom leading to field. |
West Coast Rangers / Fred Taylor Park | Upgrade of five changing rooms, the lounge and building exterior.
Upgrades included non-slip flooring, new toilet cubicles and privacy screens. Plus, the upgrade of four shower blocks, changing room benches and addition of heating. The wifi was also upgraded to meet FIFA requirements. | Sports field renovation including flushing of drains, intensive coring of the existing sand carpet and establishing a new turf.
Design and installation of new 18m LED lights to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications. The same poles also light one side of the adjacent field to create additional training space.
Perimeter fence repairs, access road, stairs leading to the field and landscaping improvements were also made. |
Papakura City / McLennan Park | Four changing rooms were upgraded with non-slip flooring and 7 cubicle showers. A new medical room was created along with an accessible bathroom and dedicated storage room. Design allows for stage 2 upgrades.
The building exterior was repainted, rebranded and the lounge carpet, lighting and upstairs toilets fully replaced with a repaint. New exterior entry doors and windows were installed along with two externally accessible toilets and three new internal cubicle toilets. | Sports field renovation including flushing of drains, coring of the existing sand carpet and establishing a new turf.
Existing lights cleaned and re-aimed to meet FIFA 300 Lux specifications.
New stairs connecting the changing room to sports field installed and landscaping in car park and surrounds undertaken. |
