Carlaw Park
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Carlaw Park, Auckland, New Zealand — opened 1921, 305 rugby league games hosted, home of None (closed 2002; historic home of Auckland rugby league).
Ground facts
| Opened | 1921 (Grandstands and terracing were built from 1916 on land the Auckland Rugby League secured, but the ground was officially opened on 25 June 1921; Rugby League Project's earliest recorded first-class fixture is a 30 July 1921 Auckland v Wellington match, consistent with an official 1921 opening.) |
| Home club | None (closed 2002; historic home of Auckland rugby league) |
| Closed | 2002 |
| Site today | Redeveloped with offices, the Quest Apartments hotel, and the University of Auckland's Carlaw Park Student Village; connected to Parnell railway station by a walkway opened in November 2018. |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 305 |
| Top recorded crowd | 28,000 |
| Capacity | 28,000 (peak, 1930s); 17,000 by closure in 2002 |
| Test matches hosted | 3 |
| First rugby league match | 25 June 1921 opening match — City Rovers 10-8 Maritime, attendance 7,000; earliest recorded first-class fixture 30 July 1921 — Auckland 31-8 Wellington |
| Last rugby league match | The ground's final test match was New Zealand 74-0 Tonga on 22 October 1999; Carlaw Park closed in 2002. |
| Years used | 1921–2001 |
| Location | Auckland, Auckland |
Name history
- Carlaw Park — since 1921 (named for James Carlaw, Auckland Rugby League committee chairman who secured the land in 1920)
Rugby league history
Carlaw Park was New Zealand rugby league's headquarters ground from 1921, hosting Auckland representative football, New Zealand test matches and, from 1968, Rugby League World Cup fixtures (games were played there across the 1968, 1975, 1977 and 1985-88 tournaments). Strong crowds for three Winfield Cup (ARL premiership) matches staged at the ground in 1992-93 — the first drawing 17,368 — helped make the case for the Auckland Warriors' admission to the competition from 1995. The ground was closed in 2002 on health and safety grounds and subsequently redeveloped for university student accommodation and commercial use, ending its 81-year run as the home of Auckland rugby league.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 4 Aug 1928 — New Zealand 17-13 England, estimated attendance 28,000 (the ground's largest recorded test crowd)
- 1951 — sole test of the French rugby league tour of New Zealand (exact date/score not identified in sources found)
- 22 Oct 1999 — New Zealand 74-0 Tonga, attendance 4,528 (the ground's final test match)
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Notable games played here
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World Cup Table, 7 Jul 1985 | 1985-88 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 18-0 Australia |
| World Cup Table, 10 Jul 1988 | 1985-88 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 66-14 Papua New Guinea |
| World Cup Table, 29 May 1977 | 1977 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 12-27 Australia |
| World Cup Table, 5 Jun 1977 | 1977 Rugby League World Cup | France 4-23 Great Britain |
| World Cup Table, 19 Jun 1977 | 1977 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 28-20 France |
| World Cup Table, 21 Jun 1975 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 17-17 England |
| World Cup Table, 28 Jun 1975 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 13-8 Wales |
| World Cup Table, 27 Sep 1975 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 8-24 Australia |
| World Cup Table, 25 May 1968 | 1968 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 10-15 France |
| World Cup Table, 2 Jun 1968 | 1968 Rugby League World Cup | France 7-2 Great Britain |
Only matches we have full, sourced records for are listed here — other historic games mentioned above may not have a dedicated match page built yet (World Cup coverage in particular is still expanding tournament by tournament).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · Grand Final results · World Cup · All competitions · Teams · Players