Fan Zones span Auckland for RWC 2011

Media Release

26 August 2010

Fan Zones span Auckland for RWC 2011

Auckland will have four official Fan Zones screening live Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) action around the region during next year’s Tournament.

RWC 2011 Auckland Regional Steering Group chair Rachael Dacy announced today that Auckland will have official Fan Zones at Albany, Henderson and Manukau in addition to the CBD site at Queens Wharf.

Ms Dacy says Fan Zones have become an integral part of large global sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup and Olympic games and are extremely popular with locals and visitors alike.

“There are matches happening all over the country so the Fan Zones provide an opportunity for all visitors and Aucklanders to be part of the action, not just those with match tickets.”

Ms Dacy says Auckland’s Fan Zones will create a festival atmosphere and will feature family events as well as licensed areas.

“As well as the RWC 2011 matches on big screens the Fan Zones will feature live entertainment, opportunities to showcase New Zealand food, culture and music, visitor information and official RWC 2011 merchandise.”

“Fan Zones will attract large numbers of people who may not normally head to these locations giving nearby bars, restaurants and other businesses opportunities to capitalise on increased foot traffic.”

Auckland’s Fan Zones will range in size from Queens Wharf, which will be open every day of the six-week Tournament and is capable of hosting up to 20,000 people, to smaller sites open on selected days with capacities of up to 5000 people.

The Queens Wharf Fan Zone will be the focus of a public celebration on opening night – September 9, 2011 – and a wide variety of festival activity throughout the Tournament.

Albany’s Civic Lakes Fan Zone will cater for up to 10,000 fans in two areas – one licensed area and one family friendly area with activities for children. It will also feature a floating screen on one of the lakes.

The Trusts Stadium in the west and Manukau’s Pacific Events Centre in the south will be home to indoor Fan Zones complete with big screen action, entertainment and food and beverage areas. The Trusts Stadium will cater for up to 7000 people while the Pacific Events Centre will have a capacity of up to 8000.

As well as the four official Fan Zones, there will be festival sites in Pakuranga, Papakura and in several parts of Rodney. There will also be other festival events throughout the region such as Diwali festival of Lights (in Auckland’s newly revamped Aotea Square), Auckland Heritage Festival and Manukau Festival of Arts.

“Put all this together and Auckland’s Fan Zones and festival programme offers activity from Warkworth in the north to Papakura in the south. We are looking to create something for everybody that is easily accessible for all,” Ms Dacy says.

Ms Dacy says the Fan Zones are covered by Auckland’s existing RWC 2011 budgets and there will be no additional cost to ratepayers as a result of today’s announcement.

Operational details such as opening hours, layout and facilities are still to be worked through with all parties and will be finalised in due course to ensure consistency with Fan Zones across the country.

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