New stand on target for World Cup
< Back Monday, 16 November 2009The 2011 Rugby World Cup and 2015 Cricket World Cup were catalysts for replacement of the three old eastern stands at AMI's Stadium in Christchurch. These stands had come to the end of their structural life and construction of the new stand began in July 2008.
The new Deans stand (named in honour of the Deans family that has had connections with Canterbury rugby for more than 100 years) will seat 14,700 and will increase the permanent capacity of AMI Stadium from 36,000 up to a new capacity of 43,000.
Progress has been very good on the project with all the foundations and the first tier of four levels almost complete. The new roof of the Dean's stand will be larger than the other main stand in the stadium, extending right to the edge of the seating, creating a fully covered-in stand for fans.
"We are about to commence work on the stands roof structure, with the first rafters going up this week," said Gordon Murdoch, Project Manager, Fletcher Construction.
"Everything is running to schedule, which is a good sign," said Adrian Jonkers, South Island Manager, Fletcher Construction.
"We have supplied some 6,000m³ spread between Fletcher Construction and their various subcontractors," said Dominic Sutton, Area Manager Canterbury/West Coast.
The targeted date for completion of the Deans stand is set for January 2010. The new stand may even see a few international cricket games before the 2011 Rugby World Cup games begin.