Wellington sports grounds busy prepping for Women’s World Cup Soccer kick-off

Porirua Park will be used by South Africa’s visiting team during the Women's Soccer World Cup. Photo / NZCIS

With the vibrancy of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ visible across the capital and beyond, it’s easy to see the enormity and excitement of the historic sporting event. What is less visible though, is the crucial work that goes on behind the scenes to bring the tournament to fruition.

One example is the hardworking grounds teams who prepare the playing surfaces, not only at Wellington Regional Stadium itself, but also at the international quality training grounds the Wellington region is home to.

At the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) in Upper Hutt where the Swedish team will train, a special hybrid turf is used. Turf manager Lawrence Orr says it has in-built synthetic stitching mixed with the growing turf to enable strength, consistency and longevity. The field was sown earlier this year in preparation, but is always maintained at international quality, he says.

“The turf is always at a high level here, and we pride ourselves on always being ready to host an international level event, which is the standard NZCIS is built to,” he says.

“We’re thrilled to host such an important event as the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and look forward to seeing the players enjoy the great facilities on offer here.”

Porirua Park is another top-level facility in the Wellington region. It will be used by South Africa’s visiting team and has undergone recent renovations of both the fields and facilities.

Parks and city services manager Julian Emeny says the field upgrade included coring, adding sand to the surface, reseeding, fertilising and mowing. The toilets and changing rooms were also upgraded with gender-neutral facilities, with a large team of Porirua City Council staff and external contractors working hard on the project.

“Porirua Park is an awesome little stadium in a positive, supportive community,” Emeny says.

“It’s private and intimate and a natural pick for international touring teams. The tournament has already been drawing attention to the park and raising its profile. We hope to attract high-level games and trainings and have already received enquiries from some high-profile teams.”

Meanwhile, Wellington Regional Stadium is where game-day magic will happen in Wellington. Here, Wellington Regional Stadium Trust turf manager Hagen Faith and his team are delivering a brand new playing surface especially for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, as a requirement for this Tier One event.

Over 18 months in the making, the surface has been grown offsite at the stadium’s turf farm in Palmerston North, before being trucked to Wellington in 950 giant rolls weighing 800kg each.

“For a multipurpose venue there’s a hybrid element, with the surface made up of a mix of artificial fibres in a special false root system, and real growth,” he says.

“This adds strength, mitigates risk and makes sure we have a perfect surface on all game days.”

Faith says the special surface is something the stadium is used to working with, and that it is an asset that will last for up to a decade.

“While it’s not a different surface to what we’re used to working with, it’s a fantastic opportunity to gain an asset for Wellington that will give us another seven to 10 years of use,” he says.

“When the first matches start this month, they’ll be on a surface that’s pristine and top-notch.”

To find out more about the events happening around the Wellington region visit www.wellingtonnz.com/fifa

- Supplied by Welingtonnz.com