British and Irish Lions praise QBE Stadium as training venue

The touring British and Irish Lions have shared high praise for the training venue and surfaces at Regional Facilities Auckland’s QBE Stadium, which they have used for much of their preparation while in New Zealand.

The Lions have had four training stints training at the venue during their tour. They began their New Zealand preparations there at the start of the tour, trained there again ahead of the fixtures against the Blues and the first Test against the All Blacks and they return this week to prepare for the all-important Third Test decider.

British & Irish Lions Tour Manager John Spencer commented “the facilities at QBE Stadium have been superb and the stadium team have been fantastic to work with, creating the right training environment for the coaches and players.

“The playing surface is top class allowing us to build and prepare for our Tour matches.

“We have appreciated the support of all the Auckland Stadiums team and especially the crew at QBE Stadium who couldn’t have done more to make us feel welcome. We are looking forward to returning there when we are based in Auckland again around the decisive third Test match this Saturday.”

QBE Stadium is operated by Auckland Stadiums, a business division of Regional Facilities Auckland, and is the premier stadium in the northern part of Auckland.

The venue has recently undergone an upgrade of its outer oval increasing the number and availability of sports training fields to allow more high performance and community sports activity all year round.

This included the creation of an additional field through the re-shaping of the embankments, the use of Desso Playmaster hybrid turf that can handle a much greater level of activity, and the provision of LED floodlights for evening use.

The $2.5 million project includes earthworks, installation of the hybrid turf and LED floodlights. The work is part of the Venue Development Strategy for Auckland, implemented by Regional Facilities Auckland, intended to transform Auckland’s network of stadiums over the short, medium and longer term.

4th June 2017 - HG SPORTS TURF EXPLAINS PLAYING SURFACE TRANSFORMATION FOR AFL PREMIERSHIP’S CHINA DEBUT 

13th May 2017 - AUCKLAND EXPANDS FACILITIES FOR LIONS CAMPERVANNERS 

 21st April 2017 - RECORD SUMMER CONCERTS DELIVER $37 MILLION BOOST FOR AUCKLAND 

4th April 2017 - ALL BLACKS FEATURE IN NEW CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE AUCKLAND

28th June 2016 - NEW ZEALAND RUGBY DENIES PRICE GOUGING OVER LIONS TOUR TICKETS

23rd April 2016 - QBE TO PARTNER BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS 2017 NEW ZEALAND TOUR

9th September 2015 - PLAN TO EASE TRAFFIC CONGESTION FOR BIG EVENTS AT QBE STADIUM

10th August 2015 - MAYORAL CANDIDATE URGES SALE OF AUCKLAND’S ‘SURPLUS’ STADIUMS

21st October 2014 - DESSO GRASSMASTER INCREASES ITS PRESENCE AT BIG TOURNAMENTS