AMI Stadium is the latest incarnation of what was once Lancaster Park that began life in 1880 under the auspices of the Canterbury Cricket & Athletics Association.
The place was taken over by the Cricket Association in 1904, who were joined by the Canterbury Rugby Football Union in 1911. Post WWI, ongoing financial difficulties moved Parliament to vest title of Lancaster Park in the Crown under the Victory Park Board. This board ruled the roost until December 1998 when the current management team took over.
AMI Stadium is Christchurch’s premier outdoor sporting and entertainment venue. It serves as home to the Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams. The existing seating capacity is 38,500 for sporting events, but this can be extended to 45,000 for concerts.
Over the years several major expansions of the park have occurred. The embankment was upgraded in 1957 and two new stands completed in 1965. In 1995 the Hadlee Stand opened.
The embankment and old No. 4 stand were replaced in 2000 by the Tui Stand, and the Paul Kelly Motor Company Stand on the west side of the ground.
The 50-year-old No. 1-3 eastern stands on the Wilsons Road frontage had long been recognised as having reached the end of their lives. The advent of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2015 Cricket World Cup saw plans accelerated to replace them with a new three-level East Stand that will mirror the Paul Kelly Stand.
The project’s designers are Athfield Architects Ltd, the firm responsible for the Paul Kelly Stand. Earlier this year it was announced that when the new East Stand officially opens it will be named the Deans Stand.
Vital AMI Stadium trivia:
• Originally trotting used the Park, departing for Addington in 1899.
• In 1912 a Floral Fete was held to raise funds to clear a debt of £2,000 in order to prevent the ground being subdivided for building.
• In 1915 the main oval was ploughed up for a potato field to raise further revenue.
• The lighting towers added in 1996 were a first for a major New Zealand stadium.
• AMI Stadium provides a “home away from home” for teams in the Australasian NRL competition, such as the Wests Tigers.
• In 1986 Pope John Paul II conducted a public mass on the oval before 28,000 people.
• Concerts at the park have included Billy Joel in 1987, U2 in 1989 and 1993, AC/DC in 1996, and Bon Jovi in 2008.
The new Deans Stand will have:
• three levels all-up, making it lower than the Paul Kelly Stand,
• one level containing hospitality seating and more Lancaster Reserve-type seating,
• all up seating for 15,000 with two-thirds covered,
• additional car parks under and around the stand,
• the eastern lighting towers relocated to the front of the stand roof, and
• an internal concourse connecting all stands.
The stadium is the second largest in New Zealand in the shape of a modern arena, with more than two-thirds of the 40,000 permanent seats under cover. For non-sports entertainment this capacity can be extended. When all the bills are in, the final estimated cost will be $60 million.
And in case anyone wonders, given some recent sporting travesties, no consideration will be given to roofing the AMI Stadium unless someone has a spare $500 million they would like to donate.
