York Park
, presently known as Aurora Stadium
under a naming-rights sponsorship deal, is an Australian rules football ground located in Inveresk, an inner city suburb of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It's the largest capacity stadium in Tasmania.
It was originally the home of the North Launceston Football Club. Since 1999 it has undergone a series of redevelopments as part of the bid to get Australian Football League games to Tasmania. The upgrades have included additional seating and grandstands, as well as lights for night games. It currently has a capacity of around 20,000, due to a fire in March 2008 destroying part of the Northern Stand and therefore reducing its capacity. [1]
In September 2004, Aurora Energy secured the naming rights to the stadium for the next six years. [2] The precinct around the stadium will still be called York Park, but the stadium itself will be referred to as Aurora Stadium
until 2010.
|
AURORA STADIUM TICKETS
|
History
The area now known as York Park was originally swampland. It was converted into a sports field in the early 1920s. Since 1923 the ground has hosted first-class Australian rules football. Other sports played in the park precinct in the years since establishment have included cricket, tennis, bowling, cycling and foot-racing. It was formally opened on
January 1 1921, and named in honour of the Duke of York (later to become
King George V), who visited Tasmania during the
Federation celebrations of 1901.
[3]
As late as
1998, York Park remained a suburban sports ground, where, according to ground manager
Robert Groenewegen, supporters were able to "
park [their] car next to the boundary fence
".
Before the
1998 federal election,
Bass MP
Warwick Smith made a re-election promise to fund the re-development of York Park. Although Smith failed to win his seat, the promise was upheld by the federal
Liberal government.
Completed in 2000, this was the first major development to bring the ground up to AFL standards. This included the Gunns Stand - a two-level grandstand with corporate facilities, at a cost of $12.5 million,
as well as five light towers for television standard lighting levels.
[4] [5]
In 2003, it was announced that the Government would spend $2 million in roofing for an additional 6,000 seats, resulting in almost the entire seated capacity of the ground being protected from weather.
[6]
In 2006 the Tasmanian Government supplied $150,000 for new gates and ticket boxes at the entry to the stadium. It was announced the gates would be named after recently deceased Premier
Jim Bacon.
[7]
In March 2008, a deliberately lit fire destroyed part of the heritage-listed Northern Stand. Damage was estimated at A$500,000.
The insurance payout from the fire may be used to determine whether the venue is expanded.
[8]
Ground manager Robert Groenewegen has suggested that the capacity could be increased to around 24,000 by replacing the old Northern Stand, at an estimated cost of $10 million.
[9]
Stadium facilities
The stands and facilities at the stadium include:
- The Gunns Stand
(named after timber company Gunns Limited) in the south west of the oval. It cost $12.5 million to build and has a capacity of 6,000.
- The Aurora Function Centre
is a corporate area immediately north of the Gunns Stand.
- The Northern Terrace
, Southern Terrace
and Eastern Terrace
stands are covered stands which combined surround approximately half the oval. The Northern and Southern terraces are positioned behind the goals at either end of the ground.
- The Northern Stand
, just to the west of the Northern Terrace, was partly destroyed by fire in March 2008.
- The Railway Workers Hill
is a small, uncovered stand located at the eastern side of the ground. North Launceston Football Club was originally named Railway Football Club.
As of June 2008, the
Government of Tasmania has spent a total of $14 million on the venue.
Events
Australian rules football
| Year
| Hawthorn
| St Kilda
| Pre-season
|
| 2001
| 1
| -
| -
|
| 2002
| 2
| -
| -
|
| 2003
| 2
| -
|
| 2004
| 2
|
| 2005
| 2
|
| 2006
| 3
|
| 2007
| 4
|
| 2008
| 4
|
Australian rules football is the primary sport played at the stadium. The ground is the long time home of
North Launceston Football Club and as a result, hosts regular
Northern Tasmanian Football League and
Northern Tasmanian Football Association matches.
The stadium has hosted AFL games regularly since
2001, when the
Government of Tasmania started paying interstate clubs to relocate their home games.
Hawthorn played a season game in 2001, increasing to two games in 2002 and joined by
St Kilda in 2003. In 2004 it was estimated that each game cost the government between $300,000 and $500,000, but Premier
Jim Bacon stated that the Government was getting a good return on its investment, with each game being worth between $1 million and $1.5 million to the Tasmanian economy.
[11] [12]
The number of matches played reached it's peak in 2006, when Hawthorn played three home games and a pre-season game, and St Kilda played two home games. The games drew consistently good crowds, with the 2006 premiership games drawing an average of over 17,000 and a record crowd of 20,971 for the Hawthorn vs
Richmond match.
2007 saw the beginning of a five-year, $15 million sponsorship agreement between Hawthorn and the Government of Tasmania which saw the state government become the club's primary sponsor, and Hawthorn playing five matches a year (one pre-season and four premiership games) at Aurora Stadium.
[13] [14]
Hawthorn president
Jeff Kennett has expressed interest in seeing his club play higher profile clubs such as
Collingwood at the stadium.
From 2001 until 2007, the ground also hosted
Tasmanian Devils Football Club home games in the
Victorian Football League. They mostly now play their matches at Hobart's Bellerive Oval. Three VFL games are scheduled at Aurora Stadium in 2008
Aurora Stadium was the location of the
2006 AFL siren controversy, a bizarre incident which occurred at a
St Kilda Saints versus
Fremantle Dockers match in April 2006. Fremantle was a point in front when the siren to end the game sounded during a stoppage for a ball-up, but the umpire in charge of the ball at the time did not hear the siren, and carried on play despite the reactions of the Fremantle players around him. According to the laws of the game, the game has not ended until the umpire acknowledges the siren by raising both hands in the air, and that
the siren should be sounded by the timekeepers until the umpire acknowledges
.
What followed was a farcical situation where play continued for approximately six seconds, St. Kilda levelling the scores in that period,
that
score being cancelled when a St. Kilda player was felled after the ball was kicked, earning a free kick, off which a
behind was scored, levelling the scores anyway. After a protest the AFL commission convened and overturned the result to award Fremantle the game, and in the process according to a number of local football identities over ruled the traditional power of the umpires on match day.
The sirens have since been replaced, with the old "quiet" sirens to be displayed at the
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in the future.
[15]
Association football
The stadium has been host to one
National Soccer League game and three
A-League pre-season games.
The first national league match at the stadium occurred when
Melbourne Knights and
Perth Glory played a
2001-02 NSL season match in front of a crowd of over 5000.
[16]
In July 2006, the stadium hosted Tasmania's first A-League match when
Melbourne Victory and
Adelaide United played there in the pre-season competition.. The fixture was repeated in 2007 and 2008.
[17]
Inveresk Precinct Authority chairman Robin McKendrick has stated that they are attempting to draw
Socceroos matches to York Park.
[18]
Other events
York Park has also hosted:
- A game in the 2003 Rugby World Cup between Romania and Namibia
- The Crusty Demons Tour 06
- Elton John - Rocket Man Solo Tour, 8 December, 2007
- Ike & Tina Turner concert
- Billy Graham evangelical performance
Elton John Concert
15,000 people welcomed Elton John to Launceston for the first time. Aurora Stadium was turned from an AFL oval into a concert venue in a matter of days to host the well renowned Elton John. He opened the concert with the popular; Your Song and 60 Years On. Many different age groups went along to see the concert, in what was his first Tasmanian appearance.
Giant video screen were erected beside both sides of the stage, so all audience members could have the best possible view.
[19]
Record crowds
A record crowd of 20,971, saw -
Hawthorn Hawks v
Richmond Tigers -
2006 AFL season on (
18 June). It was a clear day with Hawthorn eventually winning.
On the 9 August 2008, a capacity crowd of 19,929 saw
Hawthorn Hawks take on the
Brisbane Lions, with Hawthorn winning in Shane Crawford's 300th match.
Aurora Stadium's 3rd highest crowd was 19,378, also during the 2008 Season, this time on 31 May. The match was between
Hawthorn Hawks and
Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs ran out comfortable victors in front of a near capacity crowd. After this match there have been many calls to upgrade the grounds capaciy.
During 2007,
Hawthorn Hawks took on
North Melbourne in front of Aurora Stadium's 4th highest crowd of 19,144. In what was a scrappy match, North Melbourne won easily, mainly thanks to Corey Jones'7 goals.
Earlier that year
Hawthorn Hawks comfortable deafeated
West Coast Eagles on the 26 May, in front of a crowd of 18,122
Record Crowds for other sports
- Rugby union:
- *15,457
- Romania v Namibia - 2003 Rugby World Cup (30 October)
- Association football:
- *8,061
- Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United - 2007 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup (16 July)
Due to new safety regulations and the Northern Stand being burnt down the ground's capacity is now only about 20,000.
References
- Arson suspected in historic grandstand fire
- New name for York Park
- The making of Tassie's biggest sports icon
- Austadiums.com - Aurora Stadium
- Aurora Stadium - Map
- Council welcomes York Park seating boost
- York Park gates to be named after Bacon
- Bigger Aurora Stadium planned
- No takers on $10m stadium expansion plan
- Aurora Stadium - Event Hospitality
- Tas footing big bill for York Park match
- York Park kicking goals for Tas economy
- Hawks confirm Tasmanian deal
- Lifeline to the big time
- Aurora Stadium - Sirengate
- NSL 2001-02, Round 20
- Football spreads its reach
- Socceroos could play at Aurora
- Elton thrills 15,000 fans