Carisbrook facts for kids
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The House of Pain
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| Location | Dunedin, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||
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| Coordinates | 45°53′37″S 170°29′26″E / 45.89361°S 170.49056°E | ||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Carisbrook Ground Company | ||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Carisbrook Ground Company | ||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 29,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Surface | Grass | ||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||
| Broke ground | 1881 | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1883 | ||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
| Demolished | Starting 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
| Tenants | |||||||||||||||||
| Otago Rugby Football Union Highlanders (Super 14) (1996–2011) |
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Carisbrook was a famous sports stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. People sometimes called it "The House of Pain" because it was a tough place for visiting teams to play. It was mainly used for rugby union, but also hosted cricket, football, rugby league, and even motocross.
In 1922, Carisbrook held a special football match. It was the first time the Australian and New Zealand men's teams played each other. New Zealand won that game 3-1. Carisbrook also hosted concerts, including one by Joe Cocker. It often had mini-concerts before rugby games in the 1990s.
Carisbrook closed in 2011. A new rugby stadium, Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza, took its place. Cricket matches moved to University Oval.
Contents
History of Carisbrook
Carisbrook was located in Caversham, a suburb of Dunedin. It sat at the bottom of a steep valley called The Glen. Nearby were the main railway line and the Hillside Railway Workshops. State Highway 1 also ran close to the stadium.
The stadium was named after the home of an early settler, James Macandrew. His home was named after Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight. Carisbrook started being used for sports in the 1870s.
First Games and Nickname
The first international cricket game was played there in 1883. This was when a team from Tasmania visited. Test cricket matches, which are the highest level of international cricket, started there in 1955. International rugby games began in 1908.
Since the 1990s, Carisbrook had floodlights, so games could be played at night. Locals often called it "The Brook." It earned the nickname "The House of Pain" because it was very hard for visiting rugby teams to win there.
Home Teams
Carisbrook was the home stadium for two important rugby teams:
- The Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition.
- The Otago team in the ITM Cup (a New Zealand domestic competition).
Both teams played their last games there in the 2011 season. The stadium also hosted 38 All Blacks (New Zealand's national rugby team) test matches.
Carisbrook was also the former home of the Otago cricket team. They moved to the University Oval in the early 2000s. Between 1884 and 2008, Carisbrook hosted 252 first-class cricket matches. This included 10 Test cricket matches between 1955 and 1998.
The Otago United football team also played there. They moved to a smaller stadium, Sunnyvale Park, for the 2008–09 season.
Stadium Stands
Carisbrook could hold about 30,000 people. In the past, with extra temporary seats, it could even fit 42,000 fans. Until 1998, people could watch games for free from the nearby motorway bypass. This spot was known as the "Scotsman's Grandstand." Sometimes, trains would even slow down or stop on the tracks above the stadium. This allowed passengers to watch the whole game!
In 1998, a new stand and special corporate boxes were built. These blocked the free view from the motorway. Dunedin has many university students, which helped create a special atmosphere at Carisbrook. The "terraces," which were uncovered concrete steps at one end of the stadium, added to this unique feeling.
Retirement and Recycling
In 2006, a plan was announced to close Carisbrook. A new, covered stadium for 30,000 people would be built in Dunedin North. This new stadium, called the Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza, cost about NZ$198 million. The Carisbrook Stadium Trust managed its construction.
Carisbrook continued to host international and Super Rugby games until the new stadium was ready. The last international rugby game was supposed to be the All Blacks against South Africa in 2008. However, the All Blacks played more games there, including against France in 2009 and Wales in 2010. The game against Wales meant the All Blacks had played every major rugby nation at Carisbrook.
The very last test match at Carisbrook was between New Zealand and Fiji on July 22, 2011. This game was a fundraiser to help people affected by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
What Happened to Carisbrook?
On May 11, 2011, the Dunedin City Council decided to sell Carisbrook after the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Demolition began in early 2012. The tall floodlight towers were taken down and sent to Christchurch. They were used at a temporary rugby stadium there, while the main stadium in Christchurch was being rebuilt. Some parts of the corporate box stand, which was only 14 years old, were designed to be moved. There are plans to move parts of it to the University Oval and to a stadium in Queenstown.
The old turnstile building on Neville Street is a very important historic building. It will be protected during any future development on the site. Carisbrook was sold to the Dunedin City Council in 2009 for $7 million. It was then sold again in 2013 for $4.7 million.
Historic Events at Carisbrook
- 1884 February 2: First major cricket match, Otago vs. Tasmania.
- 1886 November 22: First international cricket match, Otago vs. Australia.
- 1908 May 30: First time the Otago Rugby team beat an international side, Anglo-Welsh.
- 1908 June 30: First Rugby Test match at Carisbrook (New Zealand vs. Anglo-Welsh).
- 1922 June 17: New Zealand's first full international football (soccer) match. New Zealand beat Australia 3–1.
- 1924 August 9: First Rugby League Test match (New Zealand vs. England Lions).
- 1930 June 21: First time the All Blacks lost a game at Carisbrook (to Great Britain).
- 1936 August 1: First Ranfurly Shield rugby match at Carisbrook.
- 1955 March 11: First cricket Test match, New Zealand vs. England.
- 1987 May–June: Hosted games for the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
- 1992 March 12: Hosted a game for the 1992 Cricket World Cup (New Zealand vs. India).
- 1992 September 27: First rugby match in New Zealand to go into extra time (Otago 26, North Harbour 23).
- 1993 July: Rugby match, New Zealand vs. Australia, had the largest crowd ever at the stadium, 42,000 people.
- 1996 March 3: First Super 12 match at Carisbrook (Otago Highlanders 57, Queensland 17).
- 1998 October 25: Hosted the National Provincial Championship Division 1 Final (Otago vs. Waikato).
- 1998 December 18: Last cricket Test match, New Zealand vs. India.
- 1999 May 29: Hosted the 1999 Super 12 Final (Highlanders vs. Crusaders).
- 1999 November 12–21: Hosted group stage matches and one quarter-final of the FIFA Under-17 Soccer World Championship.
- 2001 August 11: First time Australia beat the All Blacks (23–15) at Carisbrook.
- 2005 August 27: The last international rugby match (All Blacks 31, South Africa 27) before the New Zealand Rugby Union decided Carisbrook was no longer suitable for international rugby.
- 2008 July 12: After a 3-year break, international rugby returned with an All Blacks vs. South Africa match. South Africa won 30–28, their first win at Carisbrook.
- 2010 June 19: The last official rugby Test against a "Tier 1" nation (All Blacks vs. Wales), with the All Blacks winning 42–9.
- 2011 June 3: The final Highlanders match at Carisbrook, where the Western Force defeated the Highlanders 21–14.
- 2011 July 22: The All Blacks defeated Fiji 60–14 in the very last Test match. This game raised money for Christchurch earthquake relief.
- 2012 January: Demolition began, with floodlight towers sent to Christchurch.
See also
In Spanish: Carisbrook para niños
