Caledonian Ground

The Caledonian Ground, often simply known as "The Caley", is a major sports venue in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is primarily used for soccer and athletics, and has a capacity of 7,500.

Location

The Caledonian Ground is currently sited at the northern end of Logan Park in Dunedin North, close to Logan Park High School and close to the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic. Other major sports venues are located nearby, including the University Oval and the Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza. The ground is nestled at the very edge of the floodplain of the Leith, against the foothills of Signal Hill, on land which was reclaimed in the early part of the twentieth century from the waters of Pelichet Bay. The tiny Opoho Creek, a tributary of the Leith, lies to the immediate east of the ground.

History

The venue is often referred to by Dunedinities as the New Caledonian Ground, an indication that the ground has not long been at its current site. Until 2000 the Caledonian Ground was located in the heart of South Dunedin, at the corner of Hillside Road and Andersons Bay Road, some five kilometres to the south. The ground's former site is now largely occupied by the car park of one of the city's main shopping centres. All that remains of the former ground is a gymnasium and a bowling club. The gymnasium is a World War II war memorial.