Foster Park Artificial Turfs
Foster Park Artificial Turfs
Selwyn District Council is committed to providing a range of spaces to support all sport and recreation across the district. On this page you can find all you need to know about the football and hockey artificial turfs, including about their use and charges, and how to book them.
Turfs use and charges
Construction of the turfs has been fully funded by Selwyn District Council as a community asset but recognising the key role local clubs and regional sporting bodies play in the use of the surfaces. A booking hierarchy has been established to ensure access to the turf is managed and the turf is available for trainings and competitions as well as for casual community use.
Selwyn United Football, Mainland Football, Waikirikiri Hockey Club and Canterbury Hockey are the key users of the football and hockey turfs respectively, with bookings in place for the core winter season and summer off-season activities. Outside of these times, local schools, community groups and individual users are encouraged to book the turfs.
The charges for use are as follows:
Type of User | Half-sized Sand Dressed Hockey Turf | Full-sized Hockey Water Turf | Artificial Football Turf |
Priority 1 Users Selwyn-based hockey and football clubs that can demonstrate a formal affiliation to the sport (such as Waikirikiri Hockey Incorporated (WKH) for the hockey turfs and Selwyn United Football Club Incorporated (SUFC) for the football turfs) whose NZF affiliation registration is based within Selwyn District boundaries | Free of charge | $30 per hour plus GST | $30 per hour plus GST |
Priority 2 Users Regional Sports Organisations (RSOs) of the Greater Christchurch region to facilitate regional competitions and tournaments – such as the Canterbury Hockey Association (CHA) and Mainland Football (MF) | $50 per hour plus GST | $80 per hour plus GST | $80 per hour plus GST |
Priority 3 Users Selwyn-based education providers of primary, secondary and tertiary level; Selwyn-based users making Casual Bookings; Selwyn-based sports clubs that do not meet criteria under Priority 1; Selwyn-based community trusts/groups; and initiatives lead by Council’s Community Services and Facilities team | Free of charge | $30 per hour plus GST | $30 per hour plus GST |
Priority 4 Users Other users including clubs, schools and RSOs based outside of the Greater Christchurch region; and commercial users | $50 per hour plus GST | $100 per hour plus GST | $100 per hour plus GST |
Booking turfs
To hire any of the turf spaces, fill out a turf booking enquiry form [PDF, 173 KB] and email it to sports.centre@selwyn.govt.nz. Prior to making a booking enquiry, please review the terms and conditions for turf hire , ensuring you are able to adhere to these guidelines.
Learn more about the turfs
In response to growing demand for softball, baseball and hockey in the district, the Council constructed an artificial, rubber infill, softball diamond in 2017, along with a half-sized, sand-dressed hockey surface. The softball diamond is located at the Dynes Road end of Foster Park while the half-sized hockey turf is located at the north end of the park near the Goulds Road/Broadlands Drive intersection.
Following further population growth and increased demand for well-lit, all-weather sporting surfaces, Council approved the construction of a full-sized artificial football turf and a full-sized water-based hockey turf in October 2021.
Construction of both turfs was undertaken by Polytan New Zealand, internationally recognized for their work in the construction of these surfaces, and an FIH and FIFA approved supplier. The turfs were opened in May 2022, in time for the 2022 winter sports season.
The football turf has been built to FIFA Quality Pro requirements, and the hockey turf to FIH Category 2 requirements, ensuring the turfs can be used for all football and hockey, right from junior matches to national level matches and tournaments.
The football field has been constructed with community sport in mind, including field markings, configuration, and goals to allow four junior matches, or two intermediate matches, or one senior match to take place at a time. The hockey turf also allows for cross-field hockey for junior matches as well as senior matches, something not previously able to be played in Selwyn.
The football field has been built with environmental sustainability at the forefront, with a new longer grass used which has been designed to hold the infill in the turf, reducing possible contamination. In addition, a virgin rubber has been used to reduce any potential health and safety concerns for players. The technology in the hockey turf, ensures that water requirements are reduced by nearly half from older artificial turfs, and plans in place to ensure longevity of the rubber shockpad under the grass surface.
Both turfs are fully lit to 500 LUX allowing for night trainings and matches to take place. Turf users can also easily access the premier and community changing rooms located on the outside of the Selwyn Sports Centre building. The operational day-to-day management of the turfs is undertaken by the Selwyn Sports Centre, with the grooming and maintenance of the surfaces led by the Council’s Reserves Team.