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Could Christchurch host the Chatham Cup and Kate Sheppard Cup finals next month?
Cashmere Technical’s place in the cup semi-finals, where their men will host Napier City Rovers in the Chatham Cup on Sunday with the women hosting Wellington Phoenix Reserves on Saturday has raised the prospect of the cup finals being played in the Garden City.
The finals, which will take place back-to-back on the weekend of September 5-6, could even be held at One New Zealand Stadium, and would be the first football matches to be hosted at the ground.
Fellow South Island side Nelson Suburbs could also feature, should they beat Fencibles United in their Chatham Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Christchurch last hosted the men’s and women’s cup finals in 2013, when Tech’s men faced Waitakere City and Coastal Spirit’s women played Glenfield Rovers.
Both Canterbury sides lifted the trophies in front of a crowd of 2700 at English Park.
A New Zealand Football spokesperson told The Star Christchurch was in the running to host the finals.
“One NZ Stadium is among several venue options being looked at. Should there be no Christchurch representation in either of the cup finals, it’s unlikely the Kate Sheppard and Chatham Cup final would be held in Christchurch.
“NZF aims to have a decision made by August 17.”
Christchurch has hosted six Chatham Cup finals, mostly in the 1970s and 80s when Christchurch United featured regularly.
The hosting decision hinges on this weekend’s semi-finals at Garrick Park. Tech’s women play Wellington Phoenix Reserves at 2pm on Saturday, while the men’s side take on Napier City Rovers at noon on Sunday.
Tech general manager Phil Williams said having both teams at home for their semi-finals made for a special occasion.
“The home draw for both teams in the semi-final was fantastic, almost a result in its own,” he said.
Williams said the club would have loved to stage both matches as a double-header on the same day, but logistics made that impossible.
“With rules around kick-off times and gaps between games, the possibility of extra time and pens and that sort of thing, and because we don’t have floodlights, if that second game does go late, then you hit issues.
“You also want to be able to work with the other teams who are having to fork out big money to travel to Christchurch, working with their flights and what’s feasible for them.But it’s all lined up pretty well, the women on Saturday and the men on Sunday.”
Tech’s men have won the Chatham Cup three times, claiming back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014 before lifting the trophy again in 2021. The club’s women are still chasing their first Kate Sheppard Cup title.
Both teams won their respective league titles at the weekend, the men’s 5-1 win over Coastal Spirit ensuring they lifted the Southern League with two weeks to spare, while the women’s 10-0 defeat of NW United saw them claim the Women’s South Island League.
Garrick Park semi-finals
Chatham Cup: Cashmere Technical v Napier City Rovers, noon Sun.
Kate Sheppard Cup: Cashmere Technical v Wellington Phoenix Reserves, 2pm Sat.