Bill McKinlay Park, (formerly Ireland Road Domain) is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Mount Wellington in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used for football matches and is the home stadium of NRF League One side Uni-Mount Bohemian.[1] Eastern Suburbs also used Bill McKinlay Park for their New Zealand Football Championship games between 2016 and 2018.[2]
 | |
| Former names | Ireland Road Domain (1902–1976) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3 Ireland Road, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°53′59″S 174°50′56″E / 36.899588°S 174.848903°E |
| Public transit | Panmure |
| Owner | Auckland Council |
| Operator | Auckland Council |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Field size | 104 by 68 metres (113.7 yd × 74.4 yd) |
| Surface | Artificial Turf |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1902 |
| Renovated | 2010–11 |
| Construction cost | NZD$500,000 (2010–2011) |
| Tenants | |
| Mt Wellington RFC (–1954) Mount Wellington AFC (1952–1999) Uni-Mount Bohemian AFC (2000–present) Eastern Suburbs AFC (2016–2018) | |
| Website | |
| http://www.billmckinlaypark.co.nz/ | |
Bill McKinlay has hosted seven international friendlies and the 1983 Chatham Cup Final Replay.[3]
History
editIn 1902, Bill McKinlay Park was opened under the control of the Mt Wellington Domain Board. Ireland Road Domain used to host sports days, rodeos and carnivals on their grounds. In 1954 the board made the decision to give exclusive access of the ground to Mount Wellington AFC, meaning Mt Wellington RFC no longer had use of the ground. Between 1961 and 1968, changing rooms, an upstairs lounge and the clubrooms were completed.[4]
In 1976, Bill and Joe McKinlay passed away suddenly. Mount Wellington AFC asked the Mt Wellington Borough Council to change the name of the ground to its current name, Bill McKinlay Park, in Bill's honour. In 2006, Mt Wellington Stadium Charitable Trust was formed to assess the option of developing Bill McKinlay Park into a multi-use, all-weather stadium. In 2010, a NZD$500,000 facility partnership grant was approved, allowing the Mt Wellington Stadium Charitable Trust to construct an artificial turf. The turf was completed in 2011, installed by Tiger Turf and tested to a FIFA 2* standard.[5]
International matches
editBill McKinlay Park has hosted several international matches, including a Tri-Nations Series between New Zealand, Australia and North Korea. This series was part of the build up to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup held in Canada.[6][7]
In 1982, Bill McKinlay Park also hosted a cross code series of rugby and football where the All Blacks played the All Whites.[8]
| 20 August 1980 Friendly | New Zealand  | 4–0 |  Mexico | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Report | Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Bill Munro (New Zealand) |
| 15 April 1985 Friendly | New Zealand B | 2–0 | 1982 All Whites | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Report | Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Gary Fleet (New Zealand) |
| 7 June 1985 Friendly | New Zealand | 2–0 |  Fiji | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Report | Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Bill Munro (New Zealand) |
| 7 February 2007 Friendly | New Zealand B | 0–0 |  Tahiti | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Report | Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park Referee: Michael Hester (New Zealand) |
| 20 February 2010 Friendly | New Zealand | 0–3 |  Australia | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Report | Garriock  37'De Vanna 49' Khamis 84' |
Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park |
| 8 February 2015 Tri-Nations | New Zealand Women | 1–1 |  North Korea Women | Auckland, New Zealand |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park |
| 10 February 2015 Tri-Nations | North Korea Women | 1–2 | Australia Women | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Kim Yun-Mi 14' |
Report | Polkinghorne 11' Heyman 37' |
Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park |
| 12 February 2015 Tri-Nations | New Zealand Women | 2–3 | Australia Women | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Gregorius 57', 83' |
Report | van Egmond 9' Heyman 12'Foord 29' |
Stadium: Bill McKinlay Park |
References
edit- ^ "About Us". Uni-Mount Bohemian AFC. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Welcome to Eastern Suburbs AFC". Eastern Suburbs AFC. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Chatham Cup flashback: When the final was controversially staged in Gisborne". friendsoffootballnz.com. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "A little about us…". Bill McKinlay Park. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Bill McKinlay Park Synthetic Football Turf". TigerTurf. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Football Ferns to host top-level teams". New Zealand Herald. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Football Ferns beaten 3-2 by Australia in physical Auckland encounter". Stuff. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "When the All Whites took on rugby's All Blacks". friendsoffootballnz.com. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.