Yarrow Stadium
Encyclopedia
Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth
, Taranaki, New Zealand
, with main vehicle access off Maratahu St. During the 2011 Rugby World Cup
the ground was titled "Stadium Taranaki" to conform with the IRB
's "clean stadium" policy.
The primary tenant of this 25,000-capacity stadium is the Taranaki representative team in the country's principal rugby union
competition, the ITM Cup. The stadium also occasionally hosts matches of the Hurricanes Super 14
team in the same sport, although that team's primary home is in Wellington
.
Features
Major rugby is played on the number 1 field. Other fixtures are on the 3 outside fields. Cricket is usually played at Pukekura Park
, because of the incorrect size of Yarrow Stadium's number 1 field.
The ground played host to three games during the pool play stage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup:
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
, Taranaki, 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...
, with main vehicle access off Maratahu St. During 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...
the ground was titled "Stadium Taranaki" to conform with the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
's "clean stadium" policy.
The primary tenant of this 25,000-capacity stadium is the Taranaki representative team in the country's principal rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
competition, the ITM Cup. The stadium also occasionally hosts matches of the Hurricanes Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
team in the same sport, although that team's primary home is in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
.
Venue Description
- Yarrow Stadium has four sports fields, the Legends Lounge, concourse and a variety of function rooms.
- The turf on the main field is laid over irrigation lines and drains on a sand profile.
- The main field has two grandstands providing undercover seating, terraced and embankment uncovered seating and standing areas.
- The stadium also has a full sound system, fully electronic scoreboard and floodlights.
- Fields one, two and three have training level floodlighting. Field two is behind the Eastern Stand (TSB STAND), field three and four are behind the scoreboard on the Southern end of the ground.
- Car parks are situated behind the TSB Bank (eastern side) stand and a parking area for Broadcasting units behind the Noel and Melva Yarrow Stand (western side).
- It was announced in 2009, that Yarrow Stadium will have a $1.5 million upgrade for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. An extra two thousand or so seats have been added on the end embankments and media facilities have been improved.
Legends Lounge
The Legends Lounge is on the top floor of the TSB Bank Stand and has panoramic views of both playing arenas and the back fields. It is used for business conferences, dinners, sales presentations and meetings, and has a capacity of three-hundred seated and 650 standing.Features
- Internal speaker system.
- Power.
- Data points.
- Portable stage.
- Staircase and lift access is at each end of the lounge with direct access to the seating deck.
- Two kitchens, bar and toilet facilities are located at each end of the lounge so that the area can be partitioned for smaller functions.
Players/Media Area
- Two main change rooms, each with a connecting warm up room, are located at ground level of the TSB Bank Stand. Five subsidiary changing rooms are located at ground level of the TSB Bank Stand for other teams and referees.
- A medical room, drug testing room, media interview room and match day office are all located adjacent to the main changing room at the ground level of the TSB Bank Stand. Also located at Yarrow Stadium is the HQ of the Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU), their officers and a gym is located in the Northern end of the TSB Bank Stand
- Media: There is media facilities on the Western grandstand. "Noel and Melva Yarrow Stand". There is a lounge were the TV cameras (usually 2 or 3) are situated for rugby union/league and 4 media boxes for radio commentary, TV commentary, Television Match Officials (TMO) or Third Umpire and another media box for additional commentary. Apart of the upgrade other media facilities have been built for international media.
- A big screen is brought in by the TSB Community Trust and usually situated on the southern embankments, near the scoreboard.
Events
In the past, Yarrow Stadium has hosted:- New ZealandNew Zealand national rugby league teamThe New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
vs NZ Maori (Rugby LeagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
) - New Zealand vs SamoaSamoa national rugby union teamThe Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
(First rugby international at Yarrow Stadium, 2008) - New Zealand vs IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
(2010) - 3 internationals during 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World CupThe 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...
(detailed below) - Hurricanes rugby games
- Taranaki versus British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
rugby match - Taranaki rugby games in both the ITM Cup and its predecessor, the National Provincial ChampionshipNational Provincial ChampionshipThe 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...
- New Zealand Maori vs England (rugby)
- New Zealand Maori vs Scotland (rugby)
- Japan vs Tonga Pacific 6 Nations Cup 2006 (Rugby)
- New Zealand Jnr All Blacks Pacific 6 Nations Cup 2006 (Rugby)
- Central Districts vs Sri Lanka (cricket)
- New Zealand Warriors vs Parramatta Eels (rugby league)
- Multi-ethnic Extravaganza
- Searchlight Tattoo
- Relay for LifeRelay For LifeRelay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace...
.
Major rugby is played on the number 1 field. Other fixtures are on the 3 outside fields. Cricket is usually played at Pukekura Park
Pukekura Park
thumb|right|The main lake at Pukekura, with Poet's Bridge and [[Mount Taranaki/Egmont|Mount Taranaki]] in the backgroundPukekura Park is a Garden of National Significance, covering 52ha near the heart of New Plymouth, Taranaki in New Zealand....
, because of the incorrect size of Yarrow Stadium's number 1 field.
The ground played host to three games during the pool play stage of the 2011 Rugby World Cup:
- Ireland vs USAUnited States national rugby union teamUSA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
(11 September, final score 26-10) - USA vs RussiaRussia national rugby union teamThe Russian National Rugby Union Team, is the national team representing Russia at the sport of rugby union.Rugby union in Russia is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia . The RUR is the official successor union of the Soviet Union and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s...
(15 September, final score 13-6) - WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
vs NamibiaNamibia national rugby union teamThe Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...
(26 September, final score 81-7)