Rangers shift base to park, stadium
The biggest football matches in Taranaki will be played at Pukekura Park and the earthquake-prone Yarrow Stadium during the coming season in an attempt to ‘‘rejuvenate’’ the sport.
The New Plymouth Rangers team, who play in the Central Federation League, will make the grounds their home for 10 games as they host teams from across the Central North Island.
Rangers committee member and player John Sigurdsson said their usual home ground of Merrilands Domain became quite damaged after excessive use in previous years, which also prompted their decision to change. And although the team now have to work around the cricket games at Pukekura Park and be grandstand-less at Yarrow Stadium, it doesn’t bother them, Sigurdsson said.
He said he was looking forward to the change.
‘‘People love to play at these grounds,’’ Sigurdsson said.
‘‘It’s always a big day. People really strive to play there.’’
The Rangers, the football team of the highest level in Taranaki, will play six home games at Pukekura Park and the other four games at Yarrow Stadium when the park is being used for cricket.
Sigurdsson said no concerns had been raised about their sprigs impacting the cricket pitch and there would be ‘‘time to repair’’ any damage that may happen.
Nor was he worried about Yarrow Stadium’s current set up since the stadium grandstands were declared earthquake prone late last year and have been closed to the public since. This leaves the only spectator areas at either end of the field.
‘‘We haven’t even looked at what happens,’’ Sigurdsson said. ‘‘We’re not too fazed.’’
The change of home grounds will hopefully help ‘‘promote the game’’, he said.
The Merrilands Domain, the Rangers’ usual home field, saw six senior teams and 30 junior teams playing there in the past season, which was too much for it.
The field became damaged and Sigurdsson said hosting teams from afar didn’t seem right.
‘‘It was quite inadequate,’’ he said.
The atmosphere at a Merrilands home game was brilliant, Sigurdsson said, and he hoped that would carry over to the new home grounds.