Why I loved Athletic Park

I loved Athletic Park in Wellington. Still miss it. I’m still annoyed that when it was pulled down that we didn’t rebuild a new rectangular stadium on site. Everyone hated playing there which gave Wellington, The Hurricanes and the All Blacks a genuine advantage, even they themselves probably hated playing there at times.

Wedged in between Rintoul Street and Adelaide Road, up the hill from Newtown Shops, it was in the heart of residential, working class Berhampore/Newtown. The changing rooms smelt like piss, were damp, dark and cold. The groundsman would give the opposing team’s changing rooms a good hosing down before they arrived so they knew where they were, so that it was all wet, damp and uncomfortable. It was completely exposed to the elements, it was a wind tunnel. In a clip on youtube from an old Lions Tour Don Clarke toe hacked it from 50 metres out on the angle right into the teeth of a howling southerly only for the ball to blow right back to him and then some. Net loss of 10 yards.

But the key thing about Athletic Park was that it was a genuine rectangular rugby ground, it was close to the action, something we haven’t had in a stadium in Wellington for 25 years. It wasn’t trying to be a cricket ground and a rugby ground in one. The Millard Stand was almost vertical it was that steep. Even the camera angle from way up there made great TV viewing. It must have been an imposing site for teams running out from the members stand, seeing it full to the brim and swaying in the wind. You had genuine terraces at each end of the ground. The roar was insane when tries were scored.

The grand old lady was demolished in 1999 to be replaced by the Caketin. The All Blacks played their last test match there in May of that year, thrashing France 54-7 in front of 40,000 fans. We pulled their pants down, exposed their vulgar French buttocks to the howling southerly, we then spanked them with a wooden spoon, we threw it around, and had a bit of fun with ball in hand. What a way to bid farewell. France however would later have the last laugh in the World Cup later that year, eliminating us on their way to the final.

Mum’s boyfriend at the time was Welsh, a keen rugby afficiando, he was a referee as well. He took me to early Super 6 and Super 10 games back in the day, before Super 12. I think it was in about 1990 we watched Wellington play NSW. I remember we had John Gallagher and John Schuster playing. All Blacks of the time.

My first ever job was at Athletic Park in March of 1998. I was 15. It was a Super 12 game - Hurricanes v Blues. It was a blockbuster clash as the Canes had made the Semi’s the year before and the Blues of course were two-time defending champs. We were building a bit of a rivalry. It was a packed house (I’ve haven’t been able to find highlights anywhere online). I was a ticket usher wearing one of those humiliating long white coats like a pharmacist in the 1950’s, helping ticket holders find their seat underneath the top deck of the Millard Stand. It was an overcast day. I vividly remember about 2 hours before kick off Keith Quinn was sitting by himself just to my right, writing his notes before he would commentate the game. I noticed he was left handed, an alternative way of thinking perhaps? I could hear him softly muttering his lines to himself. Keith was a local boy, from the Hutt. I looked up to local heroes like him. The Blues had Jonah Lomu on the left wing. He scored 2 tries. Every time he ran down his left wing on our side of the ground it was like a thoroughbred horse galloping to the finishing post, hearing those huge legs thumping on the turf. It was during his phase of dyed blonde orangey braids. Post match you could run on the field and get autographs, you could get up and close to your favourite players and give them back slaps. I got paid in cold hard cash. $40 was delivered the next day at school by my mate Pete Robson who helped to organise the job. It came in a small brown paper bag. $40 back then actually went pretty far, probably like $100 these days.

Who could forget that 1996 All Blacks game against the Wallabies in the mud and torrential rain. We won 43-6 from memory. Cullen, Lomu, Wilson, Fitzy, Zinny, Mertz. What a side we had back then. Then in 1997 my brother and I went to see us play Argentina on a sunny arvo. That was the game Fitzy told the ref to call the game off early to save Argentina’s blushes as we piled on 90 odd points.

Being able to watch all those great Hurricanes games from the top of the Millard Stand when the Hurricanes were at their peak was a real privilege looking back on it, Christian Cullen scoring length of the field tries for fun, or setting up Tana Umaga. I remember one game each time Cullen got the ball this bloke behind would say “Go Cullen”, only that it wasn’t Cullen, he wasn’t playing due to injury, it was actually Jarrod Cunningham who could be mistaken for Cullen from afar as they both had similar skinhead type haircuts. Another time I remember an old bloke sitting next to me yelling out “we want neutral refs” when Colin Hawke would referee, which was valid when we played Canterbury or Otago, then a Mexican wave went up and he got covered in stale Lion Brown. He didn’t complain, he just copped it and moved on. That’s just how it was.

There are a few of vids of Athletic Park on youtube but not that many. There was a game we racked up 60 points v the Highlanders in about 1997. Here are some highlights of a Hurricanes game v the Reds in 1998 which was tight but the Reds won.

Athletic Park didn’t just hold rugby matches though. It held numerous concerts from massive international acts. AC/DC played there in 1991 as part of their Razor’s Edge world tour (that was peak AC/DC, loved that album as an 8 year old). Bogans, gangs and general fans from all over the lower North Island and even the South Island converged. They pissed in people’s gardens up Rintoul Street and Adelaide Road. They would sit in trees across the road or take a box of beers over to the hill across the road at MacAlister Park and watch/listen from there. The stage actually collapsed the day before the show due to high winds so they had to delay it until the following night. You can find an audio version of the show on youtube. Here are some news stories found on youtube which details the event, fascinating watch! Richard Long presents the story, then you will see a young John Campbell reporting, and later Neil Waka on TV3. Fights, stabbings and disorderly behaviour were witnessed.

Bob Dylan played in 1986 with Tom Petty opening for him (I went and was on my mum’s shoulders). What a show that was. Great vague memories as a 4 year old. Dire Straits played in 1983.

Just under 60,000 fans was the record crowd during a Lions test in 1959. The aerial shots of that are unbelievable, if not slightly haunting. People used to camp out all night either waiting for tickets or waiting to get into the ground. There is a photo below from the 1971 Lions tour when it was packed.

Then there was the infamous 1981 Springbok tour. Protests all up Rintoul Street. We lost that game.

In 1990 we had a bit of a shitter against the Wallabies. I remember Phil Kearns getting up after scoring a try and giving the All Blacks the fingers on their way to a victory.

My family is deeply intertwined with the history of Athletic Park. My grandfather William Sparks was a manager and selector for the Maori All Blacks in the 1960s. Headquarters was at Athletic Park. Team photos were taken there. They toured South Africa and Rhodesia. My uncle Bill (my grandfathers son, mum’s brother) played one game for the Maori all Blacks there against Fiji. Nowadays my mum lives on the site which is now a rest home - Village at the Park. Her room is about where the old members stand was on the Rintoul Street side. There are tons of old photos all around the corridors from over 100 years of history. And history it had in spades. It hosted the first ever home All Black’s test in 1904. The pope visited in 1986 protected by a bullet proof hot box. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited in 1952. It also hosted rugby league and footballs games. The Kiwi’s played the kangaroos there in 1990. There are a lot of photos of the early 1900’s and close up photos of keen spectators all wearing hats. In the 1960s there was a massive storm which blew nails all over the pitch, the groundsman carefully collecting them out of the mud in preparation for a game that weekend.

Farewell, haere ra Athletic Park you beautiful thing. You will live long in our memories.