Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner talks about their preparation for FIFA Women's World Cup. Video / NZ Herald
Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner has revealed the upgrades made to the Auckland stadium ahead of the start of the Fifa Women’s World Cup later this month.
What’s been three years in the making is now less than a fortnight away, and the team at Eden Park is puttingin the final touches to the $33 million makeover.
Sautner sayshe’s “immensely proud” to have the chance to showcase the “Garden of Eden” to 1.8 billion viewers across the world on July 20 for the tournament’s opening match.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – an opportunity to inspire the next generation of players and superstars of women’s football,” he told the Herald.
Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner two weeks out from the Fifa Women's World Cup. Photo / Kane Dickie
Sautner says this is what justifies the $33m spent on the upgrades.
“This is a legacy broader than just what occurs on the field. We’ll see the infrastructure being used now for the next 10 years for all cricket, rugby, but also entertainment.
“From our perspective, it’s a really exciting time for the park to be able to showcase for football fans around the globe.
“We’ve spent over $2.5 million on the field, $4.5 million on lighting upgrades in line with our sustainability policy of reusing and repurposing, and a lot of the function room areas have been upgraded.”
Garden of Eden is World Cup ready. Photo / Supplied
Among the upgrades is a giant painting inside the stadium of Amber Hearn, the Football Ferns’ all-time leading goal scorer.
Sautner says the mural is the start of an initiative that stretches across the player tunnel, showcasing artwork of legendary moments and people at the park.
Eden Park's mural of all-time leading Football Ferns goal scorer Amber Hearn. Photo / Supplied
Eden Park turf manager Blair Christiansen is equally excited about some of the upgrades, and he’s confident he’s prepared the “most accurate football field on the globe”.
“We’re millimetre perfect,” he said, explaining the stadium has to ensure no team at the World Cup has any issues when it comes to accuracy.
“If they’re used to hitting the ball 34 metres, then that’s exactly what they’ll do here.”
Christiansen, who has been in communication with Fifa to ensure the turf is right for the past two years, says the field has never been measured and surveyed this intensely before, even for All Blacks tests.
“Given Fifa’s scrutiny, I want to eliminate anything that doesn’t need to be spoken about.
“Alan Ferguson [Fifa’s head pitch manager] has been in contact regularly and he’s pretty impressed.
“There’s quite a bit of professionalism delivering it for Fifa.”
Eden Park turf manager Blair Christiansen reckons he's built the world's most accurate field. Photo / Dean Purcell
Independent assessments estimate the World Cup will generate 130,000 visitor nights for Auckland and boost the region’s economy by about $60 million.
“Hosting the tournament will be a catalyst for supercharging long-term participation growth in football – leaving a lasting legacy in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the wider Pacific,” Sautner said.
Sautner is also thrilled to host the world-champion US team, who play at Eden Park twice.
“The US women’s football team is one of the few sports teams more dominant than the All Blacks, having won 78 per cent of their matches on their way to winning four World Cups in 1991, 1999, 2015 and 2019.”
For the Football Ferns, who open the tournament on July 20 against Norway at Eden Park, Sautner is aware their tournament run may not be as lengthy.
However, he knows from experience hosting three women’s World Cups (cricket, rugby and football) in a two-year period the importance of getting bums on seats and how a crowd can boost the home team.
“We must fill out and sell out Eden Park. We want to showcase football on a global scale.”
Football Ferns schedule
Upcoming international friendlies:
Monday July 10: New Zealand vs Vietnam (5.30pm) - McLean Park, Ahuriri Napier
Upcoming Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023 fixtures:
Thursday July 20: New Zealand vs Norway (7pm) - Eden Park, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Tuesday July 25: New Zealand vs Philippines (5.30pm) - Wellington Regional Stadium, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
Sunday July 30: New Zealand vs Switzerland (7pm) - Dunedin Stadium, Ōtepoti Dunedin
