Eden Park woos neighbours with supporters’ club

Eden Park is offering to repaint a few local houses in a bid to improve relations with neighbours.

The park used its annual residents’ Christmas barbecue last week to launch a supporters’ club for neighbours called The Hood, with a range of benefits and prizes, including repainting one house each year for the next three years to the value of $10,000.

Eden Park, in the built-up residential Auckland suburb of Mt Eden, has not always enjoyed good relations with its neighbours, some of whom oppose having their lives disrupted on match days and want restrictions on the number of night-time events.

New Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner said The Hood demonstrated their appreciation of neighbours’ ongoing support.

“It is well-known that families buy homes in specific areas [for] school zones and for convenience to work and transport.

“Eden Park is another example, where locals have decided to live in the area for the accessibility to domestic and world-class events,” Sautner said.

Eden Park Neighbours Association president Mark Donnelly said the group was aware of the new “supporters” club.

“In our view what most want as a priority are well-run events, with good external management in the surrounding streets.” live