Lansdowne Park
Last Modified: 3-11-2020 16:04
Landsowne Park is an outdoor sports facility occupying around13 hectares in Blenheim catering to several different sports codes, but historically associated with rugby. Lansdowne Park, named after a sheep station in the Wairau Valley, whose owner made a bequest to Marlborough rugby, officially opened in 1930, hosting a game of rugby between a visiting British touring team, and a Marlborough Nelson team, with the visitors winning the game.
Tasman Rugby Union was formed by the amalgamation of Nelson Bays and Marlborough rugby unions in 2006. Following the amalgamation of the two unions, significant investment was made in Lansdowne Park to ugrade it to NZRU standards, however this resulted in the combined union taking on significant debt. Lansdowne Park has been owned by the Marlborough District Council since 2008 when financial difficulties faced by Tasman Rugby Union threatened the continued existence of the facility, with the prospect of the land being subdivided and sold to cover debt. Lansdowne Park is one of the two home venues for the Tasman Makos, and was the former home of the Marlborough Red Devils.
The Lansdowne Park stadium is only partially enclosed, with stands on the east and west sides of the field running north-south. The western stand was added in 2006. The smaller grandstand on the eastern side of the field has fully covered seating, while the stand on the western side of the field, though seating more spectators, is only partially covered. Total seating capacity is 15,000. During the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Lansdowne Park was used as a training base for the Russian team.
In 2020, significant investment of over a million dollars will be made to improve the surface of the field, which has suffered problems as a result of poor drainage.
After council acquisition, a review began in 2010, which led to a proposal to develop Lansdowne Park as a sports hub, incorporating facilities for a range of different sporting codes. An area for neetball with 15 courts has been developed, and Marlborough Netball moved from Horton Park in 2017. Other sports provided for include cricket, softball, touch rugby, and 'beach' volleyball.
Cite this page
Lansdowne Park. (2020) Retrieved April, 18, 2024, from https://www.marlboroughonline.co.nz/marlborough/information/recreation/parks-and-reserves/lansdowne-park/