DAVID FARRINGTON PARK
Miramar Rangers home ground and clubrooms are located at David Farrington Park in Miramar. In 2009 Wellington City Council agreed to rename the ground, from Centennial Park, to David Farrington Park – as a mark of respect to the local football stalwart who passed away in 2008. David Farrington was a legendary figure in New Zealand football for more than 40 years, coaching Miramar Rangers, Wellington representative teams and the New Zealand women’s national side. The Council’s Environment Portfolio Leader, Councillor Celia Wade-Brown, says the new name is a fitting tribute to a man who is regarded by many as the best football coach Wellington has ever produced.
“Dave was an inspirational figure in Wellington’s football scene – he was a brilliant mentor for many of our brightest soccer stars.”
The field, which is widely considered one of the best playing surfaces in New Zealand, received a renovation in 2012 by Mexted Performance Sport Surfaces. The park had a build-up of organic matter and contaminants so the surface was holding water and wasn’t draining away, affecting playability. Mexteds’ Contracts used a planer, to take 100mm off the playing surface in two 50mm passes, then re-levelled the sub-grade and installed new primary drainage in between the existing drain lines. The sand based park has a 250mm layer of dune sand and over the years a build-up of organic matter in the top 100mls has stopped the water from draining away. For the majority of times it rained, the surface would hold water. Mexteds introduced a new 50mm layer of clean turf sand.
Another noticeable change is the new style of grass that was sown following the drainage work, which is intended to have more stability and will hold the profile together better. The new creeping rye grass, which grows like a cooch, will have more durability and will prove to be a better grass for the sand-based park and the Wellington conditions. Some of the sand from David Farrington Park was able to be recycled at Houghton Bay Park to level off low spots. Houghton Bay is a former landfill site that experiences regular subsidence.
