Rugby League Park
Aerial view of Rugby League Park in July 2012
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| Former names | Addington Showgrounds |
|---|---|
| Location | 95 Jack Hinton Drive, Addington, Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°32′37″S 172°36′15″E / 43.5437°S 172.6041°ECoordinates: 43°32′37″S 172°36′15″E / 43.5437°S 172.6041°E |
| Owner | Canterbury Rugby League |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Construction | |
| Expanded | 24 March 2012 |
| Architect | Populous |
| Tenants | |
| Canterbury Bulls, South Island, Crusaders | |
The Rugby League Park (currently known as AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby league and rugby union stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. Formerly called the Addington Showgrounds, the ground is owned by the Canterbury Rugby League.
The park is part of a complex with the Horncastle Arena and the Addington Raceway and has hosted international rugby league matches since the 1950s, including World Cup matches in 1975, 1977, 1988, 1990 and 1991.
The ground was bought by the Canterbury Rugby League from the Christchurch City Council in the 1990s.
It was at this ground that the Kiwis won the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour's sole test in New Zealand to qualify for the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup final.
Rugby League Park sustained significant damage during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and was closed until 24 March 2012.
After the earthquake the stands had to be demolished. However Lancaster Park, the main sporting ground in Christchurch, was damaged beyond repair. As a temporary replacement for the city, Rugby League Park was upgraded to seat 18,000 by March 2012 with a possible expansion to 26,000 for major games. As a result, the Crusaders are based there indefinitely, and the stadium has also hosted All Blacks test matches and a Wellington Phoenix pre-season match in September 2012. On 9 November 2013 it held a round 5 A-League match between Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory in which the teams drew 1-1.
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