Apollo Projects Stadium
Christchurch's temporary stadium
With Christchurch’s major rugby stadium, Lancaster Park, suffering major damage in the 2011 earthquake and needing to be demolished, the city turned to what was formerly called Orangetheory Stadium, AMI Stadium, and before that, the Addington Showgrounds as a temporary replacement. The 18,000 seat venue has been a worthy stop, but the city is hanging out for a new, big stadium replacement.
With it’s small seating capacity, Christchurch has missed out on hosting major sporting events such as All Black matches - Cantabrians gritting their teeth as those games have been handed down the road to Dunedin’s fully-covered Forsyth Barr Stadium. While there’s been a clamour for a covered stadium for Christchurch, nothing is as yet confirmed.
That hasn’t stopped the Canterbury Crusaders from hoisting the silverware for a record seven consecutive Super Rugby seasons, however (2017-2023).
International cricket matches are sometimes held at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, where most of the seating is on grass banks around the ground.