Nelson to host Crusaders home matches
After the deadly earthquake in Christchurch and consistent doubts about the Crusaders home matches, Nelson is offering a promising substitute to the victimized club. Hamish Riach, the Chief Executive for Crusaders confirmed that his club will be sing offshore
stadiums for the home matches.
AMI Stadium is out of use till the tournament ends. More than 70 fatalities have been reported in an earthquake that also shook the foundations of AMI Stadium.
A final decision regarding where should be the Crusader’s next eight home matches played, will be made this Friday.
Riach said, “We know that we can't play at AMI so we're looking at our options, we're working through that at the moment and we expect an announcement hopefully tomorrow morning.”
Riach declared that Crusaders will be taking all options in consideration as every other Australian stadium is a potential option.
Drainage system at AMI Stadium is under renovation and the hot water pipes are under maintenance and at the moment the only ground that’s feasible for Crusaders is Nelson’s Trafalgar Park. Nelson is already host to two Rugby world cup fixtures this year.
Trafalgar Park has a capacity of around 15,000 people and has been a host to Super Rugby matches already. Riach said, “It is definitely a potential option that we are considering very closely.”
He added, “There's certainly a preference to be as close to home as possible, but what that means we don't quite know yet. Theoretically, we could do anything.”
There is a strong probability that the Crusaders will be playing their entire Super Rugby tournament away from their home and so far the only confirmed venue is Nelson’s Trafalgar Park.
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