Hamilton is among the four cities to benefit from the player facilities upgrades announced by Minister of Sport and Recreation Hon Grant Robertson today.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 (CWC22) CEO Andrea Nelson joined Hon Grant Robertson at the announcement of the $2.0m in government funding which has Hamilton’s Seddon Park set to receive a boost as the venue gears up to host the CWC22 in March and April of 2022.

Upgrades to Seddon Park will involve:

• Upgrade of existing player facilities, including individual toilets and showers.
• Refurbishment of decommissioned public toilets to create additional gender-neutral and fully accessible player facilities to cater for double-headers and provide accessible facilities for people with disabilities.

The upgrades focus on redevelopment of player facilities to make them of a standard befitting the world’s best players.

“Facilities that are tailored for men are not always right for women, and part of this funding is about changing that, so we are good hosts for the world’s best women’s players in 2022,” Grant Robertson said.

The $2 million investment in Women’s Cricket World Cup venue upgrades follows an initial $7.3 million allocation for World Cup accessible venues announced as part of the $265 million Sport Recovery Package. That investment covered upgrades to facilities at the match venues and training grounds for Rugby World Cup 2021, as well as the scoping of upgrades for Cricket World Cup and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cups.  

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate has welcomed government funding into one of Hamilton’s best-loved sports facilities.

“Hamilton is hosting more and more world-class sport and to do that well we need world-class facilities for both men and women. This funding injection into our city is recognition of the growing role Hamilton is playing in hosting international events on behalf of New Zealand.”

Northern Districts Cricket CEO, Ben MacCormack says: “We are very thankful for the Government’s support of this project. It’s been a recognised challenge of Seddon Park for a number of years and allows us to now provide suitable facilities for all of our players and especially at double headers featuring female and male teams. The CWC22 event is an important part of developing the female game and this is another great outcome of being a key host of the event.”

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 CEO Andrea Nelson says: “As host nation of this global sports event, it’s important that we provide world class venues and facilities for the teams competing in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 (CWC22). Beyond the nationwide celebration of cricket in 2022, the CWC22 legacy will improve the experience of our women and girls in cricket for future generations.

“This is what major events are all about. We’re very pleased that this World Cup will be the catalyst for meaningful change for many of New Zealand’s premier sporting venues including Seddon Park and the players that will benefit from these facility upgrades for many years to come.”

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 match schedule is due to be announced next month.