Yarrow Stadium

infobox stadium
name = Yarrow Stadium
nickname = The Bull Ring/The Fish Bowl


fullname =
location = New Plymouth, New Zealand
coordinates = coord|39|4|13.00|S|174|3|54.15|E|region:NZ_type:landmark
broke_ground = January 2002
built =
opened = September 2002
renovated =
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner =
operator =
surface = Grass
construction_cost = NZ $15 million
architect = Warren & Mahoney
structural engineer =
services engineer =
general_contractor =
project_manager =
main_contractors =
former_names = Rugby Park
tenants = Taranaki Rugby Union
Team Taranaki
Taranaki Sharks
capacity = 25,000
dimensions =
scoreboard =

Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu St. The primary tenant of this 25,000-capacity stadium is the Taranaki representative team in the country's principal rugby union competition, the National Provincial Championship. The stadium also occasionally hosts matches of the Hurricanes Super 14 team in the same sport, although that team's primary home is in Wellington.

Venue Description

* Yarrow Stadium has four sports fields, the Legends Lounge, concourse and a variety of function rooms.

* The turf on the main field is laid over irrigation lines and drains on a sand profile.

* The main field has two grandstands providing undercover seating, terraced and embankment uncovered seating and standing areas.

* The stadium also has a full sound system, fully electronic scoreboard and floodlights.

* Fields one, two and three have training level floodlighting. Field two is behind the Eastern Stand (TSB STAND), field three and four are behind the scoreboard on the Southern end of the ground.

* Car parks are situated behind the TSB Bank (eastern side) stand and a parking area for Broadcasting units behind the Noel and Melva Yarrow Stand (western side).

* On Site Broadcasting units are used for matches for Sky Sport and Maori TV. TVNZ Outside Broadcast units are used for TVNZ productions. In some cases TVNZ units have been hired by Sky TV because regular OSB units have been busy with major festivities.

Usually a 13m trailer and a 9m truck comes to ensure the pictures get back to your living room. The 13m trailer is broken up into 4 rooms. Sound, production (vision, graphics etc), videotape (replays), engineering and camera colour are merged. The 9m truck carries all the monitors, sound devices, cameras and cables.

Legends Lounge

The Legends Lounge is on the top floor of the TSB Bank Stand and has panoramic views of both playing arenas and the back fields. It is used for business conferences, dinners, sales presentations and meetings, and has a capacity of three-hundred seated and 650 standing.
Features
* Internal speaker system.
* Power.
* Data points.
* Portable stage.
* Staircase and lift access is at each end of the lounge with direct access to the seating deck.
* Two kitchens, bar and toilet facilities are located at each end of the lounge so that the area can be partitioned for smaller functions.

Players Area

*Two main change rooms, each with a connecting warm up room, are located at ground level of the TSB Bank Stand. Five subsidiary changing rooms are located at ground level of the TSB Bank Stand for other teams and referees.

*A medical room, drug testing room, media interview room and match day office are all located adjacent to the main changing room at the ground level of the TSB Bank Stand.

*Media: There is media facilities on the Western grandstand. "Noel and Melva Yarrow Stand". There is a lounge were the TV cameras (usually 2 or 3) are situated for rugby union/league and 4 media boxes for radio commentary, TV commentary, Television Match Official (TMO) or Third Umpire and an other media box for international commentary.

*If cricket is played at the ground, scaffolding for cameras (3 on each end) has to be put up at each end of the ground, because it's just grass enbankments. Additional commentary facilities have to be build as a side on view from the Western Stand is hard to commentate from.

Hosted Events

In the past, Yarrow Stadium has hosted:
* All Blacks vs Samoa (First rugby international at Yarrow Stadium)
* Hurricanes rugby games
* Taranaki versus British and Irish Lions rugby match
* Taranaki NPC rugby games
* New Zealand Maori versus England (rugby)
* New Zealand Maori versus Scotland (rugby)
* Japan vs Tonga Pacific 6 Nations Cup 2006 (Rugby)
* New Zealand Jnr All Blacks Pacific 6 Nations Cup 2006 (Rugby)
* Central Districts versus Sri Lanka (cricket)
* New Zealand Warriors versus Parramatta Eels (rugby league)
* Multi-ethnic Extravaganza
* Searchlight Tattoo
* Relay for Life.

Major rugby is played on the number 1 field. Other fixtures are on the 3 outside fields. Cricket is usual played at Pukekura Park, because of the incorrect size of Yarrow Stadium's number 1 field.

External links

* [http://www.evt.co.nz/yarrowstadium/default1.htm New Plymouth Council]