Owen Delany Park
| "OD Park" | |
| Location | Taupo, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°40′9″S 176°5′53″E / 38.66917°S 176.09806°ECoordinates: 38°40′9″S 176°5′53″E / 38.66917°S 176.09806°E |
| Owner | Taupo District Council |
| Capacity |
Concerts: 30,000 Rugby: 20,000 Cricket: 15,000 |
| Surface |
Grass (Main Stadium) Bitumen (Cycling, Netball) |
| Opened | 1983 |
| Tenants | |
|
King Country Rams Northern Districts Knights | |
| Ground information | |
| End names | |
|
North End Lake Taupo End | |
| International information | |
| First ODI |
9 January 1999: New Zealand v  India |
| Last ODI |
2 January 2001: New Zealand v  Zimbabwe |
|
As of 8 January 2016 Source: | |
Owen Delany Park is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Taupo, New Zealand. The main sports are Rugby and Cricket though, several other sports are accommodated on a permanent basis with numerous other events on an oneoff basis.
History
The park is named for Owen Delany who was a dominant figure of the Taupo sporting scene since 1953 when he formed the United Wanderers Cricket Club. In 1954 he reformed the Taupo Rugby Football club. Taupo Borough Council named the new sports ground Owen Delany Park in recognition of the time and effort Owen put into the establishment of the park and also his involvement in numerous other sports in Taupo over the previous thirty years.
Ground
The park itself covers several hectares of land on the North-eastern outskirts of Taupo. The main stadium contains a partially covered grandstand with 90 percent of the remaining perimeter formed as a raised grass embankment. The playing surface contains a Rugby field with a cricket pitch in the centre and a grass Athletics track forming the boundary. A further two levels of grass surface provide up to five alternate rugby fields and three artificial cricket pitches.
There is also an indoor stadium which houses a Gymnastics facility, an outdoor bitumen Velodrome and outdoor Netball courts, there is also a Dog obedience facility and numerous sports club buildings within the confines of the park.
Usage
Primary
The King Country Rugby Union and the Northern Districts Cricket Association each use the ground several times a year for matches involving their premier teams and also use the facility for junior teams, training and development.
In 1994 King Country hosted South Africa in the first match of their tour of New Zealand. This was South Africas first game in New Zealand since the controversial 1981 tour.
In 1999, 2000 and 2001 the New Zealand Cricket team played One Day International games at the park using the lighting facilities for the day-night fixtures.
Secondary
Various local sports clubs utilise the park on a weekly and seasonal basis providing competition on a local and national level.
The main stadium has been configured numerous times to host other sports such as Association football, Rugby League and Archery. Concerts and other public and social events are also held at the ground when a larger sized venue is required.