AusLeisure

The Auckland Blues are to move to a new $4 million purpose-built training and administrative headquarters at the city’s Alexandra Park race track.

Stating that the new base will take the rugby franchise to a new  level of excellence, Blues Chairman Tony Carter explained “we aspire to be a world-class organisation both on and off the playing field - and we need appropriate facilities for the team and all of our staff.

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reposition the entire Blues organisation towards achieving our long-term goals."

The Blues will move into the new Greenlane facility - leased from the Auckland Trotting Club for at least 15 years – later this year. It will mean an end to their time at Unitec in Mt Albert, where they have been for the past 10 years.

Alexandra Park Chief Executive Dominique Dowding is delighted to confirm her club’s official partnership with the Blues which will see a high performance training and administration centre built along with a practice field in the middle of the track.

This follows an Auckland Trotting Club Special General Meeting in September last year where club members formally ratified the board proposal after the overwhelming majority voiced strong support for the leasing arrangement.

The agreement will see the construction of a world-class stand-alone facility including a high-tech gym and the development of a training field in the park’s inner-track complete. The resource consent has been obtained, with the building consent pending. The cost of the new centre is budgeted at $4 million plus fit-out.

Dowding explained “getting the Blues is another really exciting development for our club which will help sustain and grow harness racing in this wonderful and unique central Auckland location.”

For Alexandra Park, this news comes on top of members last year voting to support transforming part of the club’s car-park into a urban lifestyle village dubbed ‘223 Green Lane West’ with boutique retail stores and 231 apartments.

Formerly known as Potter's Paddock, Alexandra Park hosted the 14th All Blacks test, won 29-0 by New Zealand over the British and Irish Lions in 1908 in front of 12,000 people.

Dowding added “let’s just say over 100 years on, rugby is making a bit of comeback at Alexandra Park.

“The club is very excited and there are a lot of synergies we can both gain from each other. “Let’s not forget we’re both in the business of sport and we both attract a good Auckland following - harness racing at Alexandra Park mostly on a Friday night and the Blues more so on Saturday.

“We also hope to develop a closer marketing relationship where we can both support each other’s codes, including getting some of Blues players along to the Friday Night Trots when they’re not busy the next day.

This year Alexandra Park celebrates 125 years of racing on its Epsom site.

For more information go to the Alexandra Park website at www.alexandrapark.co.nz

Image of the Blues new centre at Alexandra Park.

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