Aurora Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aurora Stadium | |
|---|---|
| York Park | |
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| Location | Launceston, Tasmania |
| Broke ground | ? |
| Opened | ? |
| Closed | N/A |
| Demolished | N/A |
| Owner | Tasmanian Government |
| Operator | AFL Tasmania |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | Unknown |
| Architect | Various |
| Former names | |
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| Tenants | |
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Hawthorn Hawks, AFL St Kilda Saints, AFL |
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| Capacity | |
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York Park (now known as Aurora Stadium) is the major Australian rules football ground located in Inveresk, an inner city suburb of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. In September 2004, Aurora Energy secured the naming rights to the stadium for the next six years. The precinct around the stadium will still be called York Park, but the stadium itself will be referred to as Aurora Stadium until 2010.
It was recently re-developed and has a capacity of around 23,000.
It was originally the home of the North Launceston Football Club. In 2000 it was re-developed as part of the bid to get Australian Football League games to Tasmania. The upgrades include additional seating and grandstands, as well as lights for night games.
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[edit] Australian rules football
- See also: Australian rules football in Tasmania
Since 2002 it has been successful in hosting some AFL games each season - in the most recent (2006) season, Hawthorn played a pre-season NAB Cup quarterfinal and three home games at Aurora, and St Kilda played two home games at the venue. The ground hosts Tasmanian Devils Football Club home games in the Victorian Football League.
The record crowd at the ground is 20,961 at a Hawthorn vs Richmond match on June 18, 2006.
The ground also hosts local Northern Tasmanian Football League matches.
[edit] Siren controversy
- See also: AFL siren controversy, 2006
In April 2006, a bizarre incident occurred when during a St Kilda Saints versus Fremantle Dockers match the final siren went, with Fremantle a point in front. The siren to end the game sounded during a stoppage for a ball-up, but the umpire in charge of the ball at the time did not hear the siren, and carried on play despite the reactions of the Fremantle players around him. According to the laws of the game, the game has not ended until the umpire acknowledges the siren by raising both hands in the air, and that the siren should be sounded by the timekeepers until the umpire acknowledges. What followed was a farcical situation where play continued for approximately six seconds, St. Kilda levelling the scores in that period, that score being cancelled when a St. Kilda was felled after the ball was kicked, earning a free kick, off which a behind was scored, levelling the scores anyway. After a protest the AFL commission convened and overturned the result to award Fremantle the game, and in the process according to a number of local football identities over ruled the traditional power of the umpires on match day.
This precedent was taken advantage of a few weeks later in a game between Penguin and Latrobe in the NTFL, where the controlling umpire was over ruled by his partner cancelling a goal to Penguin on the siren and giving the game to Latrobe by five points. Penguin protested, and the protest was dismissed due to a lack of evidence - however the NTFL general manager was adamant that the protest would never have been made if the AFL had not over ruled the umpires at Launceston and allowed the draw to stand.
One website forum that collects final scores persists in retaining the result as a draw. [1]
[edit] Other sports
York Park has also hosted:
- A game in the 2003 Rugby World Cup between Romania and Namibia
- A National Soccer League game between Melbourne Knights and Perth Glory.
- An A-League pre-season game between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United on July 16, 2006.
[edit] Record Crowd
- 20,971 - Hawthorn Hawks v Richmond Tigers - 2006 (18 June)
[edit] 2006 Schedule
The following matches are scheduled for 2006 at Aurora Stadium.
