Location Suva, Fiji Renovated 1978–1979
2012–2013 Opened 1979 | Built 1951 Capacity 19,000 Phone +679 331 2177 | |
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Address 220 Laucala Bay Rd, Suva, Fiji Team Fiji national football team Similar Waikato Stadium, José Amalfitani Stadium, Vodafone Arena, Churchill Park, Apia Park Profiles | ||
The ANZ National Stadium (known as ANZ Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Suva, Fiji.
Contents
ANZ Stadium is used primarily for rugby league, rugby union and football matches, and features a track as well as a pitch suitable for worldwide competition. It has undercover seating for 4,000 spectators, and an embankment that can accommodate an additional 15,000 people.
Construction and renovations
Originally called Buckhurst Park, the stadium was constructed in 1951 on sixteen hectares of land given by William H. B. Buckhurst in 1948.
The stadium was first renovated in 1978–1979 for the Sixth South Pacific Games. Work commenced in April 1978 with the demolition of the grandstand, which had lost its roof during Hurricane Bebe. The stadium was renamed National Stadium upon reopening in 1979.
A second renovation took place in 2012, sponsored by ANZ Fiji, Fiji's largest bank, at a cost of FJD $17.5 million. The stadium reopened in March 2013, with a rugby union game between the Fiji national team and Classic All Blacks.
Buckhurst and Bidesi Parks
The 2012–2013 renovation also included the park and playing grounds behind the ANZ National Stadium, which are known as Bidesi Park and Buckhurst Park, retaining the stadium's original name. The Buckhurst and Bidesi grounds include three pitches primarily used for training and competition in rugby, rugby league, football, and cricket, and a small stadium and synthetic training track. Buckhurst Park was the site of the National Baseball Diamond used in the 2003 South Pacific Games.