Devotees get the chance to take home a part of Eden Park’s hallowed turf

With the 17-year old playing surface at Auckland’s Eden Park set to be removed in the coming weeks, fans are being given the chance to take home a piece of the famous venue’s hallowed turf.

With up to 5,000 metre² of turf available, New Zealanders can but areas from one metre² to enough turf to cover their entire backyard with the historic surface.

Turf can be purchased online with 10 metre² costing $200, 20 metre²at $300 and 100 metre²at $500. There is also the opportunity to purchase one metre²of turf for $49.

Each purchase includes a certificate of authenticity and care instructions penned by the stadium’s Turf Team. New owners will be able to drive in and collect their turf prior to Christmas and are encouraged to utilise a station wagon, trailer, ute or truck, dependent on the volume purchased.

Eden Park Turf Manager, Blair Christiansen stated “the current surface is a high-quality sand-based profile and will perform well in suburban backyards if offered a little more care than normal lawn over the summer holiday period to settle it into its new home.

“Our incoming HG Hero Eden Park Edition turf has been prepared over 10 months and we’re excited to start the installation process. The new surface will be a hybrid consisting of 5% synthetic fibres which will ensure performance and stability.”

The perennial ryegrass turf has felt the effects of global events at the Park including the 2005 and 2017 British and Irish Lions Series, the first-ever T20 international match in 2005, the 2011 Rugby World Cup, 2015 Cricket World Cup, countless Bledisloe Cup clashes, as well as Auckland Rugby and Blues matches. The iconic ground is commonly referred to as ‘The Fortress’ with the All Blacks remaining unbeaten on the current Eden Park turf.

The old playing surface will make way for a new HG Hero Eden Park Edition turf which has been cultivated at the stadium’s Turf Farm in Karaka throughout the year.

HG Hero Eden Park Edition will be installed in the New Year and will be transported in giant turf rolls from the Karaka Turf Farm.

Advising that the upgraded surface marks the start of a new era for the stadium, Eden Park Chief Executive, Nick Sautner stated “the new turf will support our aspirations of both increased and varied content however the current surface has served us well and has witnessed unforgettable chapters of this stadium’s story.

“It’s a resilient and mature product and we hope as many Kiwis as possible can own a piece of Eden Park history in their backyard.”

Images courtesy of Eden Park.