Mount Smart Stadium, currently known as Go Media Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in the suburb of Penrose,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is the main home ground of the

New Zealand Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

of the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

and Auckland FC of the

A-League Men A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...

, and occasionally hosts

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and international rugby league matches. Built within the quarried remnants of the Rarotonga / Mount Smart volcanic cone, it is located 10 kilometres south of the city centre, in the suburb of Penrose.

History

The Mount Smart Domain Board was established in 1943 with the purpose of transforming the former quarry site into a public reserve. In 1953, a plan was approved for a sports stadium which was officially opened in 1967. In 1978, it hosted 3 matches of the World Series Cricket tour of New Zealand. The stadium hosted track and field events including the highly successful Pan Am series during the early 1980s. During the

1988 Great Britain Lions tour The 1988 Great Britain Lions tour was the Great Britain national rugby league team's 18th tour of Australasia and took place from May to July 1988. It started with a Test match (rugby league), Test match against Papua New Guinea national rugby le ...

the Auckland rugby league team defeated the tourists 30–14 at Mt Smart before a crowd of 8,000. Mount Smart hosted its first rugby league international on 23 July 1989 when

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

played the third test of the Kangaroos 1989 New Zealand Tour. In front of 15,000 fans, Australia defeated the Kiwis 22–14 to wrap up the series 3–0. The stadium was chosen as the Main Athletics Stadium as well as the opening and closing ceremonies venue of the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games () were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Participants competed in ten sports: at ...

. It was where the

New Zealand men's national football team The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international Association football, football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), whic ...

(the

All Whites The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), which is currently a memb ...

) played all their home qualifying games for the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national footbal ...

. This was the first occasion that New Zealand had qualified for a

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

and the event captured the imagination of the nation with large crowds packing the stadium.

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

holds the attendance record of the stadium, with 45,000 fans, who saw her play at Adele Live 2017. Ericsson Stadium was the host of the

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

's 1997 World Club Championship Final between Australian teams the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

and Hunter Mariners. In front of 12,000 fans, the Broncos defeated the Mariners 36–12. Ericsson Stadium hosted three-quarters of the 1999 Rugby League Tri-nations' games, including the final, which New Zealand lost 20–22. The stadium is now owned by the

Auckland Council Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...

, following the merger of Auckland's regional authorities and managed by Auckland Stadiums. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the back of the grandstand roof at Mount Smart was used for Bungee jumping. Following the first rugby league test at the stadium in 1989, Australian captain Wally Lewis and teammate

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

both 'took the plunge'. Mount Smart Stadium also hosted the first standalone NRL Women's Premiership match between the

and St. George Illawarra Dragons on 22 September 2019. The Dragons won this match 26–6.

Naming right

As of 12 July 2006, the stadium reverted to its original name, Mt Smart Stadium. In a press release, the

Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...

, owners of the stadium, stated they had considered other offers, but felt they did not suit. Auckland Regional Council did not actively pursue a replacement sponsor. On 14 July 2017 the Stadium was temporarily renamed Manu Vatuvei Stadium for the Warriors vs Panthers game where the Warriors bid farewell to club legend Manu Vatuvei. On 15 May 2023, the stadium became known as Go Media Stadium when Auckland Stadiums signed a naming rights deal with the advertising company. On 10 July 2024, the naming rights deal was extended until at least May 2028. On 18 August 2023, the stadium was renamed Daniel Anderson Stadium for one day only as a fundraiser for former NZ Warriors coach Daniel Anderson who became an incomplete

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of Motor control, motor and/or Sense, sensory function in the Cervical vertebrae, cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weak ...

after a bodysurfing accident in 2022. On 19 August, 2024, the stadium was renamed Shaun Johnson Stadium for one week to commemorate the final home game of Shaun Johnson's career on 23 August, 2024 before his retirement after the season. Mt SS

Tenants

It currently serves as the home ground for the

in the Australian

and NRL Women's Premiership. It is the former home of the Football Kingz of the Australian National Soccer League; however, its

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

successor, the now defunct New Zealand Knights, played on the other side of

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

North Harbour Stadium North Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany, in North Shore City, New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, association football, rugby league, and baseball are a ...

. The Moana Pasifika Super Rugby team started utilising the stadium as its home ground in 2022. The Athletics Ground (officially Mt Smart Stadium Number 2) hosts athletics meets. It also holds local

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

matches and serves as the home ground for the Auckland franchise in the

Bartercard Premiership The NZRL Bartercard Premiership was a six-team rugby league competition that ran in 2008 in sports, 2008 and 2009 in sports, 2009. It replaced the now-defunct Bartercard Cup competition as the highest level of rugby league in New Zealand. Matches h ...

. In March 2024, new

club Auckland FC was announced to be playing their first season at this venue. In July 2024, it was announced that the club had signed a five-year deal meaning the stadium would be Auckland FC's home until at least 2029.

Concerts

The capacity of the stadium for concerts is roughly 47,000 people. This can be expanded to 60,000 when the temporary north and south stands are installed. Mount Smart Stadium was the Auckland venue of the

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...

music festival until 2012. In 2014, Western Springs Stadium served as the venue for the festival in Auckland. Among the concerts hosted were Rainbow Warrior Benefit Concert (Greenpeace 1986) featuring multiple artists including

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

on acoustic guitar and

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is a British and American musician, singer and songwriter. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills ...

, Topp Twins,

Dave Dobbyn Sir David Joseph Dobbyn (born 3 January 1957) is a New Zealand musician, singer–songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash. Since then h ...

and a

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...

reunion within Mt Smart Stadium. An album of Maori artists who came to support the aims of the Mt. Smart Stadium project was released in 1981. It was called '' The Mauri Hikitia''. It reached no 4 on the New Zealand charts. It featured Rhonda, Ken Kincaid, Deane Waretini, and the Lightwood family.Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarew
Object: The Mauri Hikitia Album
/ref>

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

performed twice at the stadium, on November 9 and 11, 1996 during his

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the gl ...

. The combined attendance for both shows was 86,000.

References

External links

Go Media Stadium official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mt. Smart Stadium 1967 establishments in New Zealand Athletics (track and field) venues in New Zealand Rugby league stadiums in New Zealand Rugby union stadiums in New Zealand Association football venues in New Zealand Sports venues in Auckland Music venues in New Zealand 1990 Commonwealth Games Stadiums of the Commonwealth Games New Zealand Warriors 1960s architecture in New Zealand Moana Pasifika Auckland FC