Auckland's ASB Tennis Arena To Get $3.8M Upgrade

Auckland councilors approved a $3.8M funding package to upgrade the city's ASB Tennis Arena and increase its seating capacity to 3,500. The stadium upgrade "will involve redeveloping two stands" to ensure the arena has "enough seating capacity" to host future tournaments. The venue hosts annual WTA and ATP int'l tournaments. Its future "has been in limbo because its aging infrastructure no longer meets venue capacity standards." Previous plans also included installing a retractable roof, "but this has been sidelined until further funding can be raised" (STUFF, 3/12).

Meanwhile, the Lawn Tennis Association awarded five-year contracts to Arena and Neptunus for the ATP 500 Fever-Tree Championships, which is staged at The Queen’s Club each June. From '20-'24, Arena will install the 10,000 temporary seats needed to accommodate ticket holders around Centre Court and Court 1, and Neptunus will build its Evolution II temporary structure to house 3,450 square meters of ticket holder and hospitality facilities (LTA).