New Turf Boosts Southland Football

Southland Football has officially begun work on its new all-weather turf, marking a major milestone for the sport in the southern region. The project follows years of careful planning, funding applications, and a determined community fundraising campaign known as Pitch in Southland.

Through a mix of grants, sponsorships, and public support, the organisation has secured the $970,000 required to bring the long-anticipated development to life. Construction is already under way, and if progress continues as expected, the turf will be completed in March, just in time for the upcoming football season.

The new surface will replace the existing pitch at Turnbull Thomson Park. Designed to be faster and softer, it will also be more environmentally friendly, using no rubber infill. Advances in turf technology mean it will be able to host several games each day while significantly reducing the risk of injury for players of all ages and abilities.

The project has been made possible through the backing of several major funders, including the Lottery Grants Board, ILT Foundation, Invercargill Licensing Trust, and the Rio Tinto NZAS and Murihiku Rūnaka Community Development Fund. Southland Football also committed its own funds, but with a remaining shortfall, the organisation turned to the public for help.

Support flowed in from individuals, families, and the wider business community. A notable personal contribution came from Southland Football life member and long-time administrator Bill McLean. Local businesses also stepped up through sponsorship packages, with supporters including Invercargill Motors, Aotea Electric, Embrace Orthadontics, NAS Orthapedics, Deep South Glass, Maxis Projects, and WM Environmental, among many others.

Southland Football Football Development and Operations Manager Iain Walker says the response has been overwhelming.

“We’re really very grateful to our local funders, local businesses and individuals and families for sharing our vision for this new community asset and supporting it not only financially but really advocating for the sport in general,” he says.

“Football is in a great place and it’s only getting better. The new turf will make a significant difference for our local players – from those in our first kicks programme to our high performance academy players – but it's also going to make Invercargill a really appealing place to host tournaments, so that’s exciting.”

“We’re more than happy to collaborate with other sports and organisations, too, who want to use the space – we see it as a real community asset.”

“We can’t wait to get players out there to experience the new space; it’s going to be fantastic,” Iain says.