Aurora Stadium | |
Location | Launceston, Tasmania |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°25′33″S 147°08′20″E / 41.42583°S 147.13889°E |
Owner | Launceston City Council |
Operator | AFL Tasmania |
Capacity | 20,000 |
Field size | 175 x 145 m |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1919 |
Opened | 1921 |
Construction cost | $23.6m (redevelopment) |
Architect | Various |
Tenants | |
Tasmanian Devils Football Club (VFL) (2001-2008) Hawthorn Hawks (AFL) (2001-present) St Kilda Saints (AFL) (2003-2006) North Launceston Football Club (NTFL) (?-present) |
York Park is a sports ground located in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia, and is the largest capacity stadium in Tasmania, holding 20,000. Since 2004, it has been known as Aurora Stadium, under a six-year naming rights sponsorship deal with Aurora Energy. Primarily used for Australian rules football, its record attendance is 20,971, when Hawthorn played Richmond in an Australian Football League (AFL) match in June 2006.
York Park has been used as an international sports venue since 2001. Beforehand, only North Launceston and state games were played. The area was originally swampland before becoming Launceston's showgrounds in 1873. Work started on transforming the area into a sports venue in 1919 and was completed within two years.
Australian rules football has been played at York Park since 1923, with other sports such as cricket, tennis, bowling, cycling and foot-racing also staged. Since 2001, the Hawthorn Football Club has played between two and five AFL matches a year at the ground, with the St Kilda Football Club also playing two yearly games from 2003–06. The Tasmanian Government has a $16.4 million, five year sponsorship deal with Hawthorn, that includes four home and away season games and one National Australia Bank Cup pre-season match to played at the venue each year. On 21 February, 2009 the ground became home of the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame. Throughout its history, York Park has hosted major pop concerts and other entertainments. A redevelopment at a cost of AU$23.6 million was completed in 2005.
Events
Australian football
Australian rules football is the primary sport played at the stadium. The ground is the long-term base of the North Launceston, and as a result, hosts regular Tasmanian State League matches.[1]
The stadium has hosted AFL games since 2001, when the Tasmanian Government started paying interstate clubs to relocate their home games. Hawthorn played one game in 2001, increasing to two in 2002 and they were joined by another Melbourne based team St Kilda in 2003. In 2004, it was estimated that each game cost the government between $300,000 and $500,000, but then Premier Jim Bacon stated that the Government was getting a good return on its investment, with each game worth between $1 million and $1.5 million to the Tasmanian economy.[2][3]
The number of matches played reached its peak in 2006, when Hawthorn played three home games and one pre-season game, while St Kilda played two home games. The games drew average crowds of 17,108, with a record crowd of 20,971 for the match between Hawthorn and Richmond. The ground also hosted occasional Tasmanian home games in the Victorian Football League from 2001 until their demise in 2008.[4]
The April 2006 AFL siren controversy occurred in a game between St Kilda and Fremantle at York Park. Fremantle were a point ahead when the siren to end the game sounded during a stoppage for a ball-up, but the umpire in charge of the ball did not hear the siren, and carried on play despite the reactions of the nearby Fremantle players.[5] As play continued for several seconds, St. Kilda levelled the scores. However that score was cancelled when a St. Kilda player was felled after the ball was kicked, earning a free kick. This enabled St Kilda to score a behind, levelling the scores. After a protest, the AFL Commission convened and overturned the result, awarding Fremantle the game. The stadium's sirens have since been replaced, with the older sirens to be put on display at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.[5]
2007 saw the beginning of a five-year, $16.4 million sponsorship agreement between Hawthorn and the Government of Tasmania, which saw the state government become the club's primary sponsor, and Hawthorn playing five matches a year (one pre-season and four premiership games) at York Park.[6] Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has expressed interest in seeing his club play higher profile clubs such as Collingwood at the stadium.[7]
Other uses
York Park has hosted one National Soccer League match along with three A-League pre-season games.[8] The first national league match at the stadium occurred when Melbourne Knights and Perth Glory played a 2001–02 NSL season in front of a crowd of over 5000.[9][10]In July 2006, the stadium hosted Tasmania's first A-League match when Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United played in the A-League pre-season competition. 8,061 attended the fixture the following year, with another rematch in 2008 and 2009.[11] Inveresk Precinct Authority chairman Robin McKendrick has stated that ground authorities are attempting to draw Socceroos matches to York Park.[12]
The stadium hosted an Ike & Tina Turner concert as well as a Billy Graham religious revival meeting, before redevelopment.[13] York Park hosted its only international sporting event when Romania and Namibia played in front of 15,457 spectators during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The Crusty Demons performed at the stadium during 2006 and again in March 2008.[14][15] Elton John also performed at the stadium, during his Rocket Man Solo Tour at the end of 2007, in his only Tasmanian appearance to date.[16]
Structures and facilities
York Park's interior is an oval bowl surrounded by several different stands. The largest is the two-tier Gunns Stand on the ground's western side. Originally the stand had a capacity of 2,500 but after a 2005 extension was increased to 5,700.[17][18] The Gunns stand now has two corporate box areas; the Gunns Function Centre and the Corporate Function Centre.[19] Immediately north of Gunns Stand is the Aurora Function Centre, which houses coaches' boxes along with a Function Centre.[20][21][22] Next to Aurora Function Centre is the heritage listed Northern Stand connecting the Northern, Southern and Eastern (Launceston Tamar Valley) Terraces. The stands collectively have a capacity of 6,000, bringing the grounds seated capacity to 11,700.[8][23] The Railway Workers Hill is a small, uncovered stand located at the eastern side of the ground, in between the Northern and Eastern Terraces.
A grant of $50,000 from the Tasmanian Community Fund in 2005 helped the Launceston City Council and AFL Tasmania construct a permanent Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame at York Park. This facility was located the Hall of Fame at the ground because the site is regarded as the home of Australian Rules Football in Tasmania.[24] AFL Tasmania initiated the Hall of Fame nomination process, with various clubs, players and grounds nominated and accepted into the Hall of Fame since 2005.[25] The public Hall of Fame opened to the public on Saturday 21 February, 2009.[26] As of May 2009, $23.6 million has been spent re-developing the stadium.[8][27]
History
The area now known as York Park was originally swampland, and later a landfill before becoming the Launceston showgrounds in 1873.[28][29][30] The park was named in honour of the Duke of York (later to become King George V), who visited Tasmania during the Federation celebrations of 1901.[13] York Park was officially opened by the St Andrews Caledonian Society on 1 January 1921. A cycling track surrounded the perimeter fence until a new velodrome was constructed.[13][31] Since 1923, the ground has hosted first-class Australian rules football. Other sports played at the precinct since establishment are; cricket, tennis, bowling, cycling and foot-racing[13] The ground was substantially damaged by the 1929 floods, with the Northern Tasmanian Football Association season delayed for a week as a result.[32] In 1960, York Park was the venue of a football match when Tasmania defeated Victoria for the first time. The match was attended by a record crowd of approximately 15,000.[33][34]
Until 1999, York Park remained a suburban-style sports ground; according to ground manager Robert Groenewegen, supporters were able to "park [their] car next to the boundary fence".[13] Before the 1998 federal election, the local member of parliament (MP) for the Division of Bass, Warwick Smith—a minister from the ruling Liberal Party—promised to fund the re-development of York Park if he was re-elected. Although Smith lost his seat, his party retained power and kept the promise.[13] The $6.4 million re-development completed in 2000, was the first major phase of developing the ground to Australian Football League (AFL) standard. This included the construction of the Gunns Stand—a two-level grandstand that originally held 2,500 (now 5,700) as well as corporate facilities,[7][8] five Template:M to ft 1400 lux (units of illumination) television standard light towers, a watering and drainage system able to disperse up to 100mm of rain an hour and 85 in-ground sprinklers capable of rising 15 cm.[7][17][27][35][36][37]
In 2003, the Government of Tasmania allocated $2 million to erect a roof above 6,000 seats, in readiness for the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup; this meant that almost the entire seating area was protected from the weather.[38] In 2004, the ground became known as Aurora Stadium after the signing of a six-year naming rights sponsorship deal with Aurora Energy.[29] During 2006, the state government supplied $150,000 for new gates and ticket boxes at the stadium entry. The gates were later named after recently deceased Premier Jim Bacon.[39]
In March 2008, a deliberately-lit fire destroyed part of the heritage-listed Northern Stand, causing between $300,000 and $500,000 damage. The insurance payout from the fire will determine whether the venue is expanded.[40][41] The gates and Northern Stand have been placed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and are protected as they are deemed to be culturally significant to the state.[42]
There has been a $7 million proposal by the Launceston City Council for the development of a new Northern Stand. The project is also set to include relocating the Northern Stand's heritage roof into part of the redevelopment of facilities at Invermay Park. The old structure will be replaced with a 2,125 seat grandstand set to include; corporate boxes, official areas for 800 and new change rooms, increasing ground seating capacity to 13,825. The Australian Government is set to contribute $4 million, Tasmanian Government $2 million and Launceston City Council $500,000. The Hawthorn Football Club are currently asking for a "sizeable" contribution from the AFL towards the development, with Inveresk Precinct Authority chairman Robin McKendrick indicating a contribution of $1 million possible.[43][44][45][46]
Record crowds
Season | Average |
---|---|
2008 | 17,528 |
2007 | 17,403 |
2006 | 17,108 |
2005 | 15,772 |
2004 | 16,615 |
2003 | 16,707 |
2002 | 16,589 |
2001 | 17,460 |
Total | 16,867 |
The record grounds record attendance is 20,971, for an AFL match between Hawthorn and Richmond on 18 June 2006. However, this was before the Northern Stand was damaged, allowing many more people to fit inside the stadium. 19,929 saw an AFL match between Hawthorn and the Brisbane on 9 August 2008,[48] in what was the highest crowd since the fire.[49] The stadiums lowest AFL attendance is 12,465 for a match between St Kilda and Fremantle on 3 April 2005.[47]
The record attendance for a sport other than AFL is 15,457 when Romania played Namibia on 30 October during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.[50] The highest recorded attendance for a soccer match is approximately 8,061, when Melbourne Victory played Adelaide United on 16 July during a 2007 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup match.[51] The ground's biggest crowd for a non-sporting event is 17,000–for a Billy Graham religious revival meeting on 17 March 1959.[52]
Transport
York Park is a 15–20 minute walk north of the Launceston City Centre.[53] The ground has a parking capacity of approximately 2,500 because of large grassy areas at the Inveresk site next door, with an option of street parking.[54][55] There are hotels within walking distance and the park is accessible by taxi[56] and public buses, from the five nearby stops along adjacent Invermay Road served by eight scheduled services.[57]
Notes
- References using The Examiner may require registration for access.
- ^ "Tasmanian State League Business Plan" (PDF). AFL Tasmania. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ^ "Tas footing big bill for York Park match". ABC News. 2004-06-10. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ "York Park kicking goals for Tas economy". ABC News. 2003-09-24. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ "Aurora Stadium". Australia Football league. Retrieved 2009-02-191.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ a b "Sirengate". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ "Hawks confirm Tasmanian deal". The Age. 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ a b c "No takers on $10m stadium expansion plan". The Examiner. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^ a b c d "LAUNCESTON CITY COUNCIL / YORK PARK & INVERESK PRECINCT AUTHORITY SUBMISSION" (PDF). Launceston City Council. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ "NSL 2001-02, Round 20". Ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ "Melbourne wins friendly". The Age. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "Football spreads its reach". A-League website. 2008-05-02. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
- ^ "Socceroos could play at Aurora". The Examiner. 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "The making of Tassie's biggest sports icon". The Examiner. 2006-09-03. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
- ^ "Crusty Demons 2008". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Crusty Demons 2006". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Elton John (8 December 2007)". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ a b "York Park upgrade is flowing ahead". The Examiner. 1999-11-06. Retrieved 2009-04-20. Cite error: The named reference "York Park upgrade is flowing ahead" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Reserved seats sell well for Anzac Day - AFL AT AURORA". The Examiner. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ "Aurora Stadium - Event Hospitality". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^ "Aurora Function Centre". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Gunns Function Room". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Corporate Suites". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "$4m in federal funding for Aurora Stadium". The Examiner. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ "Tasmanian Community Support Fund" (Press release). Sporting Pulse. 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ^ AFL Tasmania. "Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame". Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ^ "Tasmanian legends revealed to public". The Examiner. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ a b "The forum - Hopes still alive for a State team" (Press release). The Examiner. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ Richardson, pp. 19.
- ^ a b "Naming rights for Tasmania's Home of Football to Tasmanian company". Aurora Energy. 2004-09-27. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "Agricultural Shows". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ "A Short History". Launceston City Cycling Club. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Northern Bombers History 1921-1930". North Launceston Football Club. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ "Relive Tassie football's glory days". Australia Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "A History of Tasmanian Football". Tasmanian Government. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Coast's turn to take the events praise". The Examiner. 2000-02-22. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ "Future concept for stadium revealed". The Examiner. 1999-09-28. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ "York Park Story". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^ "Council welcomes York Park seating boost". ABC News. 2003-04-07. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- ^ "York Park gates to be named after Bacon". ABC News. 2006-08-16. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- ^ "AFL gives Aurora all clear". Yahoo!7 Pty Limited. 2008-03-30. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ "Grandstand fire 'deliberately lit'". The Australian. 30 March 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ Tasmanian Heritage Register. "York Park Entrance Gates and Grandstand". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- ^ "Aurora Stadium Upgrade" (PDF). Launceston City Council. 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ^ "Aurora Stadium plan expected by Christmas". Launceston Times. 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ^ "Hawks to lobby AFL for Aurora upgrade". The Examiner. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
- ^ "Launceston City Council welcomes funding for the Northern Stand" (PDF). The Examiner. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
- ^ a b "Best Crowds/Worst Crowds". AFL Tables. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ Harms and Daffey, pp. 358–360.
- ^ "Crawford given chance to cap 300th". aapsports. 2003-08-09. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ "Defeat leaves Namibia at bottom of group". The Independent. 2003-10-30. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
- ^ The Examiner, p. 1, 18 March 1959
- ^ "Google Maps - Aurora Stadium". Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Technical Information". Aurora Stadium. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "Aurora Stadium". Australian Football League. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Accommodation Near Aurora Stadium". Wotif.com Holdings Limited. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ^ "North Bus - Mowbray - Uni - Mayfield - Alanvale - Rocherlea - Routes 2-6-7-10". Metro Tasmania. 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-12.