Auckland consortium’s audacious waterfront stadium plan reborn after five years

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Eden Park
Image credit: Eden Park Trust

The Auckland Waterfront Consortium (AWC) are going to release a new proposal with plans to build a waterfront stadium, five years after their very first proposal was made.

This Waterfront Stadium plan also came a day after Eden Park, New Zealand’s national stadium in central Auckland, announced a plan to turn the current 50,000 capacity stadium into a 60,000-capacity all-weather fortress.

Regarded as Eden Park 2.0, it will deliver a world-class, multi-purpose, hybrid stadium.

Eden Park’s bold plan to be turned into an eventual “world-class stadium” was announced, with the trust claiming Eden Park has distinct financial, transport and environmental advantages, giving fans a world-class experience and facilities.

Back in 2018, the AWC’s vision was for a 50,000-seat, fully enclosed waterfront stadium in the city.

However Dave Wigmore, of the Auckland Waterfront Consortium (AWC), explained the consortium have envisioned a much larger project with their latest proposal as well as ensuring there would be no taxpayers cost involved.

“AWC proposes a modern, fully enclosed, multi-purpose entertainment, sports and events arena, seating up to 70,000 people on the Auckland waterfront at zero public cost.” Wigmore explained in a press conference.

The consortium had said back in the original 2018 proposal that the “iconic” stadium could be built within 10 years if plans were adopted.

David Wigmore added that this proposal for a Waterfront Stadium is fantastic news for the future of Auckland as a city, whose plan is to ‘create a revitalised world-class city extending from Wynyard Quarter to the new ‘Bledisloe Quarter’

“The consortium looks forward to the upcoming public debate on the proposal,” he continued via press conference.

“[We’re] committed to respectful engagement with mana whenua and ensuring the best outcomes for Aucklanders.”

The consortium still have to get the vital approval from both the council and the Government when they first present this proposal to them.

The biggest benefit of this proposed project remains the fact that it was be of no cost to the general public and allow the city to create a new entertainment and function space for the public to enjoy.

Between the Government’s decision and executing a waterfront stadium plan in concurrence with the Eden Park extension, this will be a tough proposal to execute but it will sure be popular with the Auckland public.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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