Apollo Projects Stadium
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand — opened Addington Showgrounds leased by Canterbury Rugby League in 1951, becoming the region's primary rugby league venue from then; the current stadium structure was rebuilt/reopened 24 Mar 2012 as a replacement venue following the 2010-2011 Christchurch earthquakes, which destroyed Lancaster Park/AMI Stadium, 40 rugby league games hosted, home of Canterbury Bulls (rugby league), long-term home venue since the 1997 Rugby League Park designation and through subsequent renames.
Sourcing caveat: The exact 2012-vs-2015 AMI Stadium/Rugby League Park naming transition conflicts between sources and is not resolved. This venue was scheduled for demolition in late 2026, shortly after this write-up was researched.
Ground facts
| Opened | Addington Showgrounds leased by Canterbury Rugby League in 1951, becoming the region's primary rugby league venue from then; the current stadium structure was rebuilt/reopened 24 Mar 2012 as a replacement venue following the 2010-2011 Christchurch earthquakes, which destroyed Lancaster Park/AMI Stadium (The earliest documented international Test recorded there (29 Jul 1950, New Zealand 16-10 Great Britain) actually predates the 1951 Canterbury Rugby League lease per the club's own history — an unresolved minor date discrepancy, flagged rather than smoothed over.) |
| Home club | Canterbury Bulls (rugby league), long-term home venue since the 1997 Rugby League Park designation and through subsequent renames |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 40 |
| Top recorded crowd | 17,669 |
| Capacity | 17,104 in 'sport mode' configuration; upgraded to seat 18,000 by Mar 2012 with potential expansion to 26,000 for major events |
| Test matches hosted | 3 |
| Floodlights installed | Present, used for night NRL/international fixtures; exact installation date not confirmed |
| Surface | Grass (turf reportedly sourced/recycled from Lancaster Park during the 2012 rebuild) |
| Years used | 1912–2025 |
| Location | Christchurch, Canterbury |
Name history
- Addington Showgrounds — until 1997
- Rugby League Park — from 1997, per Canterbury Rugby League's own history page
- AMI Stadium — from 2012 per Wikipedia, following the post-earthquake rebuild; however Canterbury Rugby League's own site states CRL's grand final and Canterbury Bulls games 'return to Rugby League Park' in 2015 and suggests that branding persisted for CRL's own fixtures into 2015-2018 — a genuine, unresolved conflict on the exact transition date between the two names
- Wyatt Crockett Stadium — one-off honorific rename for a single match, 6 Jul 2018, honouring the All Blacks prop
- Orangetheory Stadium — from Jun 2019
- Apollo Projects Stadium — from Aug 2023, current/final name before closure
Rugby league history
A multi-purpose venue in Christchurch — rugby union (Crusaders Super Rugby, All Blacks Tests), rugby league (Canterbury Bulls, Kiwis/NRL fixtures including Anzac Day Warriors vs Knights matches, World Cup matches), football (All Whites), and major concerts (Foo Fighters, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins). Originally an earthquake-recovery temporary stadium built in under 100 days using recycled materials (lights from Carisbrook Dunedin, turf from Lancaster Park, seating from Eden Park and QEII Park). Closed 3 Apr 2026 (Crusaders 69-26 Fijian Drua, final match) as Christchurch's teams moved to the new One New Zealand Stadium at Nga Puna Wai; scheduled to be dismantled in late 2026.
Also home to Crusaders Super Rugby, All Blacks Tests, and All Whites football fixtures; a major concert venue.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 29 Jul 1950 — New Zealand 16-10 Great Britain (attendance 10,000, earliest documented Test at the venue)
- 17 international rugby league Test matches recorded at the venue across 1950-2024, featuring New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Tonga, Fiji, and Australia
- Rugby League World Cup matches hosted in 1975, 1977, and 1988
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · Grand Final results · World Cup · All competitions · Teams · Players