League of its own

An extensive collection of sports memorabilia is soon to be open to the public at Mt Smart Stadium.

Sir Peter Leitch moved his sports museum from Manurewa to the stadium to make it more easily accessible.

‘‘I wanted to share it with the public so I thought why not move it to where sports fans regularly come?’’ he says.

The museum houses an impressive collection of items Sir Peter has acquired from charity auctions over the years. Sports represented include rugby league, cricket, baseball, football, netball, golf and boxing.

Lining the walls are framed jerseys, boots, shorts and caps as well as a multitude of professional sports photographs, including signed portraits of such legends as Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal.

It is hard for Sir Peter to choose a favourite item among the lifetime of memories which hang on the walls but he counts the New Zealand flag signed by Valerie Adams in 2011 among his most prized pieces.

‘‘It’s special to me because she gave it to me straight after she had won her third world title. She’s someone I have so much respect for.’’

But every piece in the museum has meaning for him and he anticipates it will be even more popular in its current location than it was in Manurewa.

The museum is in the process of being opened. Once completed, booking information will be at mtsmartstadium.com.