Lancaster Park facts for kids

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Lancaster Park
Construction
2011 aerial view of earthquake-damaged Lancaster Park
Former names	Jade Stadium (1998–2007) AMI Stadium (2007–2011)
Location	Christchurch, New Zealand
Coordinates	43°32′31″S 172°39′15″E / 43.54194°S 172.65417°E / -43.54194; 172.65417
Owner	Victoria Park Trust
Operator	VBase Venue management
Capacity	38,628
Field size	Cricket Oval
Surface	Grass
Broke ground	1880
Opened	1881
Renovated	1995–2009
Expanded	2009
Closed	2011
Demolished	2012–2019
Tenants
Crusaders (Super Rugby) (1996–2011) Canterbury (ITM Cup)

Ground information
End names
Hadlee Stand End Port Hills End
International information
First Test	10–13 January 1930: New Zealand v England
Last Test	7–9 December 2006: New Zealand v Sri Lanka
First ODI	11 February 1973: New Zealand v Pakistan
Last ODI	29 January 2011: New Zealand v Pakistan
First T20I	7 February 2008: New Zealand v England
Last T20I	30 December 2010: New Zealand v Pakistan
First women's Test	16–18 February 1935: New Zealand v England
Last women's Test	29 November – 2 December 1957: New Zealand v England
First WODI	7 February 1982: Australia v England
Last WODI	15 February 1999: New Zealand v South Africa
Only WT20I	28 February 2010: New Zealand v Australia
As of 26 April 2017 Source: ESPNcricinfo

Lancaster Park was a famous sports stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium because of sponsorship deals. Sadly, the stadium was badly damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. It had to close forever and was taken down by 2019.

Today, the area where the stadium once stood is a public park. It has places for community sports and opened again in June 2022. Lancaster Park was a busy place, hosting many different sports. These included rugby union, cricket, rugby league, soccer, and athletics.

It was especially famous for a moment in 1962. Here, Peter Snell broke world records in running for 800 meters and 880 yards. The stadium also held big concerts with famous bands like U2 and Pearl Jam. But mostly, it was known as the home ground for the Crusaders rugby team and the Canterbury cricket team. It could hold up to 38,628 people.

History of Lancaster Park

Who Owned the Park?

The story of Lancaster Park began in 1880. A company called Canterbury Cricket and Athletics Sports Co. Ltd was formed. In 1882, two people, Edward Stevens and Arthur Ollivier, bought some swampy farmland. This land became Lancaster Park.

The land was bought from a farmer named Benjamin Lancaster. The cricket company paid £2,841 for about 4.4 hectares of land. By 1904, the Canterbury cricket group owned the land all by themselves.

Later, in 1911, the Canterbury Rugby Union joined them as co-owners. In 1919, the New Zealand government took over the ownership. A special board was set up to manage the park.

In 1998, a new company called JADE Stadium Limited was created. This company managed the stadium for the board and the Christchurch City Council.

First Events at the Park

The stadium was supposed to open with a cricket match on October 8, 1881. But rain stopped the game from happening! So, the very first event at Lancaster Park was an athletics meeting. This happened a week later, on October 15, 1881.

Tough Times for the Park

In 1912, the park was in debt. To help pay it off, a "Floral Fete" (a type of festival) was held. This was to stop the land from being sold off for buildings.

Things were so hard financially that during World War I in 1915, the main field was dug up. It was used to grow potatoes! This was another way to try and earn money for the park.

Growing Bigger

Over the years, Lancaster Park got bigger. In 1957, the seating area was expanded. This meant 33,000 people could watch games. By 1965, new stands were added, making space for 38,500 fans.

In 1995, the Hadlee Stand opened. This stand honored a famous cricket family from Canterbury. It was the first part of the stadium to be taken down after the earthquake.

More changes happened in 2000. Some old parts were removed, and new stands were built. These included the Tui Stand and the West Stand. Sadly, these new stands were also badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake. Even though they could be fixed, it would have cost too much money.

The stadium was going to be even bigger for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. A huge project costing $60 million was planned. The old Eastern Stands were replaced with the new Deans Stand. This would have made the stadium hold almost 45,000 people. It would have been the second largest stadium in New Zealand.

The Deans Stand

A new East Stand was built and opened in January 2010. It was named the Deans Stand. This stand could seat 13,000 people. It was very badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake. The ground beneath it moved so much that the stand was marked for demolition.

The Deans name is very important to rugby in Christchurch. For over 100 years, many members of the Deans family played rugby at the stadium. Famous All Blacks like Bob Deans, Bruce Deans, and Robbie Deans were part of this family. Even today, family members like Milly Deans play for the Canterbury women's rugby team.

Earthquake Damage and Closure

Lancaster Park during demolition in August 2019

The stadium had to close because of the serious damage from the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Seven matches for the 2011 Rugby World Cup were supposed to be held there. But because of the damage, these games had to be moved to other places.

Most of the stadium was taken down by September 2019. A new stadium called Te Kaha is planned to open in Christchurch by 2025. Until then, games are being played at Rugby League Park.

Naming the Stadium

The stadium was first known as Lancaster Park. In 1998, it was renamed Jade Stadium. This happened after a company called Jade Software Corporation bought the naming rights.

Then, in 2007, another company, AMI Insurance Limited, bought the naming rights. The stadium was then called AMI Stadium. Even with these new names, the park itself was always officially called Lancaster Park. So, the full name was "AMI Stadium at Lancaster Park."

Sports Played at Lancaster Park

Rugby Union

Lancaster Park was a very important place for rugby. The All Blacks played 48 test matches there between 1913 and 2010.

Rugby World Cup 2011

The stadium was set to host five pool matches and two quarter-final games for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It would have been called Stadium Christchurch for the event. However, due to the earthquake damage, Christchurch could not host these important games.

Super Rugby

AMI Stadium was the home ground for the Crusaders rugby team. They played many big finals there, winning in 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2008. After the 2011 earthquake, the Crusaders moved to Rugby League Park in Addington. This temporary home was also renamed AMI Stadium. Later, it was renamed Orange Theory Stadium.

Provincial Rugby

The stadium was also home to the Canterbury team. They played in the ITM Cup, which is now called the Bunnings National Provincial Championship. After the earthquake, they also moved to the new AMI Stadium in Addington.

Ranfurly Shield

The Canterbury rugby team has a famous history with the Ranfurly Shield. One memorable moment was in 1954. Canterbury kept the Shield against Waikato with a last-minute try. The crowd was so excited that they ran onto the field before the game could even finish!

Cricket

Cricket has been played at Lancaster Park for a very long time. It was built as a cricket ground. The very first Test match in New Zealand was played here on January 10, 1930. This was also New Zealand's first-ever Test match.

In 1996, tall lights were added, allowing for day/night cricket games. This was a first for a major New Zealand stadium. The lights were first used in 1997 when New Zealand played England in front of 25,000 fans.

Many famous cricket moments happened here. Richard Hadlee took many wickets and scored a century. Nathan Astle scored a very fast double-century. Brendon McCullum scored the fastest Twenty20 century against Australia.

Because of the 2011 earthquake, and the ground becoming very wet and soft, international cricket could not be played in Christchurch for a while. Games were moved to other grounds like Hagley Oval and Rangiora Recreation Ground.

Rugby League

Lancaster Park also hosted rugby league matches. Teams from Australia's National Rugby League competition, like the Wests Tigers and Sydney Roosters, played games here.

The 2011 ANZAC rugby league Test match was supposed to be played at the stadium. But it had to be moved to Australia because of the earthquake damage.

Rugby League Test Matches

Lancaster Park hosted three international rugby league matches for the New Zealand team:

Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance	Part of
7 August 1920	England	3–19	10,000	1920 Great Britain Lions tour
1 November 1996	Great Britain	32–12	9,000	1996 Great Britain Lions tour
28 October 2006	Great Britain	18–14	17,005	2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations

Soccer

Lancaster Park hosted two A-League soccer matches. The Wellington Phoenix played against Adelaide United here. In January 2010, 19,276 fans came to watch. This was a record crowd for the Phoenix at the time. It made people wonder if Christchurch could have its own A-League team.

Another match between the same teams was held in December 2010. This game attracted 14,108 fans.

Other Events

Concerts

Lancaster Park was a popular venue for concerts. Many famous artists performed there, including:

U2 (1989 & 1993)
Tina Turner (1993 & 1997)
Dire Straits (1986 & 1991)
Billy Joel (1987)
Meat Loaf (2004)
Roger Waters (2007)
Bon Jovi (2008)
Pearl Jam (2009)

Religious Events

In 1954, Lancaster Park held a large Roman Catholic prayer gathering. In 1986, Pope John Paul II held a public mass on the field. About 25,000 people attended this event.