The Wellington Phoenix are the only professional sporting team to be playing on the night of 15 March - exactly one year after the tragic events in Christchurch – and General Manager David Dome says that the club wants to play their part in recognising and remembering the lives lost on that day.
“The club has named this football round ‘Kia tau te Rangimarie’, which is Maori for ‘Let there be Peace’.
“We think this is fitting as we want to focus on New Zealand continuing to come together as a community following this devastating event, regardless of religion or ethnicity or circumstances.”
As part of the match, the Phoenix will dress 51 seats at Sky Stadium in black - with each seat named after one of the 51 people who died as a tribute. The players and crowd will also observe a moment’s silence prior to kick-off, and have invited members of the Muslim community to attend as honoured guests.
“This is an important thing for us to do as we want these people to be remembered, not for what happened to them but to celebrate the lives they led for the family and friends they left behind,” says David.
The Wellington Phoenix will play their Kia tau te Rangimarie Round against Melbourne Victory on Sunday 15 March from 6.20pm.
