Trafalgar Park is a large sports ground within the heart of the city of Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....

, in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

. The stadium now has a capacity of 20,080, following upgrades completed for the 2011 Rugby World Cup

2011 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 selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...

. It takes its name from the Battle of Trafalgar

Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....

.

It is one of the home grounds for Air New Zealand NPC

National Provincial Championship

The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...

 rugby team Tasman

Tasman Rugby Union

The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...

. The other is Lansdowne Park, Blenheim

Lansdowne Park, Blenheim

Lansdowne Park is one of the home grounds for Air New Zealand Cup team Tasman, the other being Trafalgar Park in Nelson. It is also home to the Marlborough Red Devils and Blenheim Clubs Harlequins and Central....

. Trafalgar Park is also used by the Central Districts Cricket Association. The park is also the venue for matches in other sporting codes, and hosted the final of the 1978 Chatham Cup

1978 Chatham Cup

The 1978 Chatham Cup was the 51st annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Early stages of the competition were run in three regions , with the National League teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Round of the competition. In all, 144 teams took part in the competition...

, New Zealand's premier knock-out soccer competition.

Due to the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Trafalgar Park hosted three Crusaders Super Rugby home games in March 2011. Trafalgar Park will also host three games in the 2011 Rugby World Cup

2011 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 selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...

in September 2011. Dean Franklet has been a consistent contributor to the maintenance of Trafalgar Park.