Owen Delany Park

Owen Delany Park

"OD Park"
Location	Taupo, New Zealand
Coordinates	38°40′9″S 176°5′53″E
Owner	Taupo District Council
Capacity	Concerts: 30,000 Rugby: 20,000 Cricket: 15,000
Surface	Grass (Main Stadium) Bitumen (Cycling, Netball)
Opened	1983
Tenants
King Country Rams Northern Districts Knights

Owen Delany Park is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Taupo, New Zealand. The main sports are Rugby and Cricket though, several other sports are accommodated on a permanent basis with numerous other events on an oneoff basis.

History

The park is named for Owen Delany who was a dominant figure of the Taupo sporting scene since 1953 when he formed the United Wanderers Cricket Club. In 1954 he reformed the Taupo Rugby Football club. Taupo Borough Council named the new sports ground Owen Delany Park in recognition of the time and effort Owen put into the establishment of the park and also his involvement in numerous other sports in Taupo over the previous thirty years.

Ground

The park itself covers several hectares of land on the North-eastern outskirts of Taupo. The main stadium contains a partially covered grandstand with 90 percent of the remaining perimeter formed as a raised grass embankment. The playing surface contains a Rugby field with a cricket pitch in the centre and a grass Athletics track forming the boundary. A further two levels of grass surface provide up to five alternate rugby fields and three artificial cricket pitches.

The is also an indoor stadium which houses a Gymnastics facility, an outdoor bitumen Velodrome and outdoor Netball courts, there is also a Dog obedience facility and numerous sports club buildings within the confines of the park.

Usage

Primary

The King Country Rugby Union and the Northern Districts Cricket Association each use the ground several times a year for matches involving their premier teams and also utilise the facility for junior teams, training and development.

In 1994 King Country hosted South Africa in the first match of their tour of New Zealand. This was South Africas first game in New Zealand since the controversal 1981 tour.

In 1999, 2000 and 2001 the New Zealand Cricket team played One Day International games at the park utilising the lighting facilities for the day-night fixtures.

Secondary

Various local sports clubs utilise the park on a weekly and seasonal basis providing competition on a local and national level.

The main stadium has been configured numerous times to host other sports such as Association football, Rugby League and Archery. Concerts and other public and social events are also held at the ground when a larger sized venue is required.