Eden Park to be home ground of Blues for 2024 and 2025 seasons

Auckland Blues have confirmed that Eden Park will continue to be the home venue of the Super Rugby club for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

The confirmation follows the omission of the venue from the initial Super Rugby schedule, which was revealed in August. Back then, Nick Sautner, the CEO of the park, explained that negotiations were postponed due to the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Nevertheless the team officially announced that they would kick off the 2024 Super Rugby season in Whangarei, playing against the Fijian Drua. They would then return to Auckland's Eden Park for the rest of their home matches, which includes fixtures against the Crusaders, Western Force, Brumbies, Hurricanes, Highlanders, and Chiefs.

Blues chief executive Andrew Hore expressed delight over Eden Park remaining their home ground for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

“We’re very comfortable with where we’ve landed – it’s been a worthwhile process in exploring our options and it’s fantastic that we can give our fans, sponsors and players certainty for the season ahead,” he said.

“As mentioned when the draw was released, we needed to take some time and talk to our various stakeholders, including our members, to ensure we were making the best decision for the Blues.”

Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner was pleased with the outcome of negotiations.

“Eden Park has been the home to the Blues since the team’s establishment in 1996. We’re delighted to continue our support for Blues Rugby, welcoming both the players and their fans to New Zealand’s National Stadium for the 2024 & 2025 seasons,” he said.