Kiwitea Street
Encyclopedia
Kiwitea Street, also known as Freyberg Field, is a multi-purpose stadium
in Auckland
, New Zealand
with a capacity of 3,500. It is currently used for football (soccer)
matches and is the home stadium of both Auckland City FC
and Central United
.
Kiwitea Street was also the venue of the 2007 Chatham Cup
final.
or the Oakley Ground in Waterview
.
A move to a permanent home site came in 1965, when Freyberg Field, situated on the borders of the suburbs of Sandringham
and Mount Albert
in Kiwitea Street, was made available for use as a football pitch, in spite of it being just forty-five metres wide.
The next quarter of a century saw Central increase the width of the pitch on three occasions, each time at club members' personal expense.
The last such exercise took place in the late 1980s. After buying up adjoining properties, a massive timber retaining wall was erected, and 5000m3 of earth was removed.
However, only six first-team games could be played at Kiwitea Street in 1992, due to its poor condition.
Following consultations with the Auckland City Council and the New Zealand Turf Culture Institute, a bold plan was implemented to develop an all-weather, sand carpeted pitch at Central – similar to those at Eden Park
and the MCG
– over a three year period.
The final result saw Kiwitea Street boasting the finest football-playing surface in the country by 1995.
In addition to these extensive works the club has also undertaken further major developments at the ground including:
1. The construction of a covered grandstand in 2004;
2. Major additions to the clubrooms to incorporate a new boardroom, administration office, corporate hospitality wing and dedicated medical and physiotherapy room (2004-2007);
3. Further sand-slitting, sand-carpeting and a full resurfacing of the pitch in 2007.
Kiwitea Street, home of both Central United FC and Auckland City FC is now considered arguably the best football ground in the country - a fitting venue for two of the most successful clubs in the history of NZ Football and a source of great pride for Auckland’s Croatian community
.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, 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 a capacity of 3,500. It is currently used for football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
matches and is the home stadium of both Auckland City FC
Auckland City FC
Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
and Central United
Central United
Central United Football Club is a semi-professional Association football club based in Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand...
.
Kiwitea Street was also the venue of the 2007 Chatham Cup
2007 Chatham Cup
The 2007 Chatham Cup was the 80th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Up to the last 16 of the competition, the cup was run in three regions , with an open draw from the quarter-finals on. In all, 123 teams took part in the competition. Note: Different sources give...
final.
History
Initially, the Central club played their home games at either the Auckland DomainAuckland Domain
The Auckland Domain is Auckland's oldest park, and at 75 hectares one of the largest in the city. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, the park contains all of the explosion crater and most of the surrounding tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano....
or the Oakley Ground in Waterview
Waterview, New Zealand
Waterview is a suburb of Auckland City, located along the western edge of central part of Auckland's isthmus. The geographical boundaries of Waterview are Oakley Creek in the east, Heron Park in the south, the Waitemata Harbour in the West, and the SH16 motorway and the Oakley Creek inlet in the...
.
A move to a permanent home site came in 1965, when Freyberg Field, situated on the borders of the suburbs of Sandringham
Sandringham, New Zealand
Sandringham is a suburb of Auckland City, New Zealand. Sandringham is a bustling, multi-ethnic suburb, and has a population of 10,800.Sandringham was named after the country house of Edward, Prince of Wales. This house, which is located in Norfolk, England, is the private property of the British...
and Mount Albert
Mount Albert, New Zealand
Mount Albert is a volcanic peak and suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb was Auckland's second, after Remuera, and was mostly settled by well-off families in the late 1800s and early 1900s...
in Kiwitea Street, was made available for use as a football pitch, in spite of it being just forty-five metres wide.
The next quarter of a century saw Central increase the width of the pitch on three occasions, each time at club members' personal expense.
The last such exercise took place in the late 1980s. After buying up adjoining properties, a massive timber retaining wall was erected, and 5000m3 of earth was removed.
However, only six first-team games could be played at Kiwitea Street in 1992, due to its poor condition.
Following consultations with the Auckland City Council and the New Zealand Turf Culture Institute, a bold plan was implemented to develop an all-weather, sand carpeted pitch at Central – similar to those at Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
and the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
– over a three year period.
The final result saw Kiwitea Street boasting the finest football-playing surface in the country by 1995.
In addition to these extensive works the club has also undertaken further major developments at the ground including:
1. The construction of a covered grandstand in 2004;
2. Major additions to the clubrooms to incorporate a new boardroom, administration office, corporate hospitality wing and dedicated medical and physiotherapy room (2004-2007);
3. Further sand-slitting, sand-carpeting and a full resurfacing of the pitch in 2007.
Kiwitea Street, home of both Central United FC and Auckland City FC is now considered arguably the best football ground in the country - a fitting venue for two of the most successful clubs in the history of NZ Football and a source of great pride for Auckland’s Croatian community
Croatian diaspora
Croatian diaspora refers to the Croatian communities that have formed outside Croatia.Estimates on its size are only approximate because of incomplete statistical records and naturalization, but estimates suggest that the Croatian diaspora numbers between a third and a half of the total number of...
.