An upgrade of Hagley Park's fields by Christchurch City Council will benefit a range of community sports groups.

The five hectare Bob Deans Fields in North Hagley Park are undergoing re-levelling to remove the bumps and hollows caused by the earthquakes. The irrigation is also being refurbished to ensure the grounds are ready for two national touch rugby tournaments next year.

Christchurch is hosting the Touch Junior National Championship from 12-14 February 2016 which will see about 70 teams and 1100 participants compete on the fields. The following month, the Touch National Championship will be held from 4-6 March, with a similar number of players. It is the first time the city has hosted the tournaments since 2005, after the earthquakes prevented the Touch National Championship from being held here in 2011.

Parks Unit Manager Andrew Rutledge says the revamp will bring the fields up to a high-quality sporting standard.

"Improvements to the fields have been required since the earthquakes and the upcoming touch tournaments have acted as a driver for this work to be carried out. Fencing is up around the site and work is well underway."

Earthquake remediation work is also expected to start after Christmas on the hospital corner sports fields. Since the earthquakes the fields have been unusable during winter months due to flooding issues. A drainage system will be installed and the fields reconfigured to ensure that both summer and winter sports codes are able to use them.

"Hagley Park is a popular sporting location so, once completed, the refurbished fields will provide quality fit-for-purpose playing grounds for many community sports groups and a lasting legacy for the city's current and future players," says Mr Rutledge.

More information on the upcoming touch tournaments can be found at www.bethere.co.nz

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For more information contact:

Jocelyn Ritchie

Media Manager

Christchurch City Council

027 241 0244