Rugby's Legacy Fund to help boost facilities at Memorial Park

Memorial Park will undergo an upgrade to its facilities thanks to a significant grant to Hautapu Sports Club from national rugby’s Legacy Fund.

Eighteen rugby clubs, including Hautapu, will share in a distribution of $1.2 million in grants.

All successful applications were based around improving or developing clubrooms, women and girls changing rooms or playing fields.

In Hautapu’s application, supported by Waikato Rugby, Memorial Park’s lack of dedicated changing rooms, shower facilities and toilets for female players was highlighted.

“Addressing this shortfall is a major focus of the proposed redevelopment,” the club explained.

“The project will create a more inclusive environment for female athletes of all ages and provide facilities that better meet the needs of the growing number of women's and girls' teams using the venue.”

Hautapu Sports Club president Dave Simes said the grant would cover costs including plumbing, electrical work and painting.

He said club members were “over the moon” after news of the grant.

“The NZR Legacy Fund could not have a better title to help what we are doing here,” he said.

Memorial Park is a heavily utilised facility, serving local and visiting teams for training and competition, as well as schools, junior sports organisations and representative teams.

The venue primarily serves Cambridge but is also a central location for other Waikato sports.

“While Hautapu Sports will drive this project, we are clear this is much wider than our club, being Memorial Park, the history of the ground, together with the current wider community involvement at the park, which is exciting,” Simes said.

Simes said it was important the facility improvements benefited as many people as possible.

About the Legacy Fund

The Legacy Fund New Zealand Rugby Legacy Fund Charitable Trust is a registered charity (CC64244) that distributes the annual earnings on a $60 million perpetual fund held by New Zealand Rugby.

The Fund was a key part of the capital investment into rugby in New Zealand in 2023 and supports projects which will have an intergenerational impact of the game.

The inaugural round of Legacy Fund grants, allocated in December 2025, distributed $687,438 to 12 projects.

The July 2026 distribution of grants takes the total to almost $2 million.

“Clubs and community organisations play a critical role in their local communities and in the journey of our elite players,” NZR board member and chair of the Legacy Fund advisory group, Greg Barclay, said.

“Helping to future-proof facilities in this way reflects the purpose of the Legacy Fund and the importance of supporting club and community rugby health and participation across the country.”

Legacy Fund manager Cameron Bell said it was “really special to see the kaupapa of the Legacy Fund become a reality.”

“Projects from last year’s inaugural round of grants have come to life, with a number of clubs now having female changing facilities or enjoying redeveloped clubrooms throughout this 2026 season.

“This has future-proofed club environments that are more welcoming and safer for all participants. We’re looking forward to seeing these latest recipients move forward with their projects.

“Once again, the demand for this type of support was really strong. I spoke to a lot of applicants personally to assist their understanding of the process and what I took from that was the deep passion that exists in the grassroots game.

“There’s a lot of good happening in rugby, and we’re proud that the Fund enables projects that support the future of the game right across the country. Our aim is to continue to grow the Fund’s base so we can further its impact.”