The SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, previously known as the ILT Velodrome and also known as the Invercargill Velodrome, is an indoor

velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement c ...

located in

Surrey Park Surrey Park is a major sports venue, located in the Invercargill, New Zealand suburb of Glengarry, 2km to the east of the city centre. Surrey Park's facilities include three rugby grounds, three football grounds, four softball pitches, an athleti ...

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of ...

, Southland,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. It is next door to the ILT Stadium Southland and is part of the same complex. It is the main home venue of Cycling Southland and it serves as a training facility for three Invercargill sporting franchises – Southland Stags,

Southland Sharks The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank So ...

and

Southern Steel Southern Steel are a New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball South in the ANZ Premiership. Netball South is the governing body that ...

. The velodrome was originally opened in 2006. The venue is owned by Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust. Invercargill Licensing Trust previously held the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

. Since 2013, they have been held by the

Southern Institute of Technology , image = Southern Institute of Technology (New Zealand) logo.jpg , image_size = 200px , motto = , tagline = , established = 1971; years ago , faculty = 387 FTE 2005 , head_label = , students ...

Facilities

The SIT Zero Fees Velodrome features permanent seating for 1,064 with views available all around the fully carpeted concourse. In the middle of the cycling track is a pillar-less flat floor area of 2195 square metres comprising three full-size multi-sport courts with a

Rebound Ace Rebound Ace is a cushioned tennis hardcourt composed of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt or reinforced concrete base. It is manufactured and sold by California Products Corporation's Sports Surfaces divis ...

surface. Motorised nets surround the courts which allow for the track and courts to be utilised at the same time. There is a training facility in the centre of the velodrome where all three local sporting franchises, Southland Stags,

and

are able to train.

History

Construction

In 2003, a joint proposal from Cycling Southland and

Stadium Southland ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill, New Zealand is a multi-purpose venue, capable of conducting a wide range of events from large scale concerts to sporting events and exhibitions. Incorporating the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, the stadium co ...

was put together to develop a velodrome in

. Cycling enthusiasts, including

Graham Sycamore Graham John Sycamore (born 1941/42) is a former New Zealand cyclist, international commissaire, and Invercargill city councillor. Sycamore was an international commissaire for 26 years, attending seven Commonwealth Games, three Olympic Game ...

, had long advocated for the establishment of a velodrome in

. Ray Harper subsequently chaired the Stadium Southland Extension Project. In 2005 construction began with German track designer, Ralph Schuermann, as the main designer, while Calder Stewart Industries were appointed as the project design and build company. The entire project was completed in 57 weeks, with 150 tonnes of track timber and equipment shipped from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

via ship. The six containers were then transported by road to Invercargill from Dunedin. The project cost

NZ$ The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Ze ...

11 million to complete. On 26 May 2006, the velodrome was officially opened by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

Sarah Ulmer Sarah Elizabeth Ulmer (born 14 March 1976) is a former Olympic cyclist. She is the first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold medal, which she won in the 3km individual pursuit at the 2004 Athens Olympics setting a world record. Afte ...

subsequently became the first cyclist to officially ride the new velodrome.

Cycling

Between 2006 and 2014, the velodrome served as the home of

Cycling New Zealand Cycling New Zealand ( mi, Eke Paihikara Aotearoa), originally known as BikeNZ, is the national governing body for cycling organisations in New Zealand, and represents the interests of BMX NZ, Cycling New Zealand Road & Track, Mountain Bike NZ, a ...

. However it was subsequently replaced by

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

's Avantidrome. The velodrome hosted the 2012 UCI Juniors Track World Championships. It has also hosted several Oceania Track Championships as well as Cycling Southland and Cycling New Zealand competitions. The velodrome has helped develop several leading local cyclists, including Eddie Dawkins,

Natasha Hansen Natasha Hansen (born 15 November 1989) is a New Zealand track cyclist who has represented her country at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. Hansen competed at the 2018 Gold Coast games and won two silver medals in the sprint & team sprint, and ...

, Tom Scully and Alison Shanks. Between 2018 and 2023, the velodrome served as home of the Southern Performance Hub, developing cyclists aged between 15 and 22.

Southern Steel

Three netball courts are situated inside the velodrome. During the 2011,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

seasons, while

was unavailable following a roof collapse in September 2010,

played their

home games at the velodrome.

Southland Sharks

Between 2011 and

, the velodrome also served as the temporary home venue for

of New Zealand's National Basketball League.

Events hosted

Naming rights sponsor

Gallery

File:ILT Velodrome.PNG, Between 2011 and

, the ILT Velodrome served as

's temporary home. File:Stadium Southland.png, Satellite view of

featuring the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome (right) and ILT Stadium Southland. File:U.S. Ambassador Brown visits Southland, September 2018.jpg, September 2018: U.S. Ambassador, Scott Brown (second from right) and Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie (left) visit the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome.

References

{{Invercargill 2006 establishments in New Zealand Velodromes in New Zealand Southern Steel Netball venues in New Zealand Sports venues in Invercargill 2000s architecture in New Zealand Basketball venues in New Zealand