‘New’ Caledonian not so new any more

With the new century entering its 25th year, Summer Times looks back at some of the events of 2000 and sees how we’ve fared since. Adrian Seconi recounts the Caledonian Ground’s opening.

For a sports venue the Caledonian Ground has sure lived a transient life.

It has been sited at the northern end of Logan Park for the past 25 years in an area which has developed into a world-class sporting hub.

The University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic, Otago Hockey, Tennis Otago, the University Oval and Forsyth Barr Stadium are all located nearby.

The venue was opened in front of a small crowd of 800 people in October, 1999.

It set rate-payers back $3.3 million.

Initially it was referred to locally as the new Caledonian Ground, on the account of the old Caledonian Ground being sited in South Dunedin at the corner of Hillside Rd and Andersons Bay Rd.

That area is now mostly a carpark, although the old gymnasium remains.

There was an even older Caledonian which dated back to 1876. The original "Caley" was sited at the North Ground and it hosted New Zealand's first National Athletics Championships in December 1889.

Next March the Caledonian will again host the New Zealand Track and Field Championships.

The venue last hosted the event in 2016.

In 2023 it was a training base for the Fifa Women’s World Cup and it had a spruce-up for the occasion along with Tahuna Park and Logan Park No 6.

It has also been a second home for Paralympians Holly Robinson and Anna Grimaldi. The Dunedin pair have put in countless hours training at the venue and the net return has been impressive.

Between them they have collected seven Paralympic medals — four of them gold.

It was the home for Otago United for a period and hosted a Chatham Cup semifinal in 2008.

But mostly the venue has been put to use by the community and the region’s aspiring young athletes each week during the summer.