Eden Park undergo 7 day name change as Coopers Catch Park
Oct 12, 2020Originally Published by Newshub
For the next seven days, Auckland’s Eden Park will be known as ‘Coopers Catch Park’, after ASB Bank gifted stadium naming rights to the Kaikōura-based fish and chip shop for Sunday’s Bledisloe Cup test.
As revealed by Newshub last week, Auckland’s iconic sporting venue will undergo a name change for the first time, after ASB Bank secured naming rights to the stadium.
As part of its efforts to stimulate business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank opted to give a small Kiwi business the naming rights for the week, with the All Blacks due to face the Wallabies on Sunday.
That business is Coopers Catch, fittingly from the coastal town still recovering from the devastating Kaikōura earthquakes four years ago.
Coopers Catch owner Jason Hill described it as a “surreal” moment.
ASB Bank already owns rights to the ground’s northern stand, as well as several other major venues around the city.
“We’ve been working trying to work through what we can do to help small businesses other than lend them money,” says ASB Bank business banking executive general manager Tim Deane.
“We approached [Eden Park chief executive] Nick [Sautner] with the idea and tested it with him.
If the first game was anything to go by Bledisloe 2 should be a ripper.
Kickoff at 4pm at Coopers Catch Park pic.twitter.com/2PU7FEufym
— Michael O'Keeffe (@mpokeeffe1) October 11, 2020
“We were delighted with how Eden Park worked with it and they helped us select Coopes Catch.
“We wanted to make a difference for Coopers Catch and Kaikōura.”
Over the past 30 years, the All Blacks have made Eden Park a fortress – they last lost there to France in 1994, while Australia last tasted success there in 1986. During that span, there have been two draws – to South Africa in 1994 and the British & Irish Lions in 2017.
Deane says he’s confident the All Blacks can maintain their dominant record at ‘Coopers Catch Park’ desipite Sunday’s 16-16 draw at Sky Stadium in Wellingotn.
“I think the fact they playing at ‘Coopers Catch Park’ will give them extra exert and spur them on as they realise the whole country is behind them.”