Having previously secured the 2021 Women’s Cricket World Cup and the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup (both of which have been shifted to 2022), the recent announcement of Auckland as a host city and Eden Park as a host venue for the2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup brings about an incredible three-peat of global events for the nation.
Steeped in history, Eden Park is globally recognised as one of the most iconic multifunctional stadia venues in the world. It is a formidable fortress, not only for the All Blacks who have a consecutive winning streak of over 40 Test matches at the venue, but for every team that calls it home. The scene of epic encounters between the titans of rugby and cricket, Eden Park needs no introduction.
In order to remain at the forefront of the international stadia scene and in preparation for the world’s focus to be on Eden Park over the coming years, the decision was made to upgrade the entire playing surface and surrounds. Planning for the resurfacing stretches back over two years, when it was first decided to replace the old Motz stabilised turf system installed by HG Turf Group back in 2003. Having researched extensively, it was decided that a replacement hybrid carpet type system would best suit the multi-functional usage requirement that Eden Park now has.
This selection has been franked even further with the announcement in January that Eden Park had been granted resource consent to host up to six concerts per year.
As part of the selection process for the hybrid technology to be used, two carpet type hybrid products were installed on the ground at Eden Park. Following a period of evaluation and testing, HG’s HERO Hybrid Grass Eden Park Edition turf was chosen.
