v Gold Coast United - GAME ON

Sunday March 4 is New Zealand's Children's Day and this year it coincides with the Wellington Phoenix's Week 22 clash with Gold Coast United.

To mark the day, there is a whole afternoon of free kids entertainment planned at Westpac with the stadium opening at an early 1pm so kids can enjoy themsleves for a couple of hours pre game. Activities include:

* bouncy castles,
* a vertical bungy,
* a rock climbing wall,
* McDonalds' blow up football field,
* facepainters and other children's entertainers
* a live band.

There will also be a chance to win a family trip to Melbourne to watch the Phoenix v Melbourne Victory on Friday March 16 courtesy of Qantas and the Intercontinental. Prize includes return flights, two nights accommodation and tickets to the match at AAMI Park.

Entries close at 4pm so you need to be there early to have a chance. The winners will be drawn at half time at the game.

Wellington Phoenix Head of Marketing David Dome said the Wellington Phoenix wanted to mark the day.

"A lot of our crowd is made up of families. This gives them the chance to make a whole afternoon on game day. They can come in early, let the kids run wild for a couple of hours and then sit back and watch the game" Dome said.

The Phoenix have also set aside the Family Zone as a special pricing initiative. Dome said they wanted to encourage those families who sometimes can't afford tickets to make a day of it this game.

"We decided that we were putting on all this free entertainment and wanted as many kids as possible to be able to take advantage of it. Sometimes families can't always afford to go to a game - so we've put aside a limited amount of tickets in the Family Zone at half the regular price to make it more affordable."

These tickets are not available on game day at the Stadium and they cannot be purchased anywhere else other than the Family Zone.

Dome said they were not only looking to provide some free kids entertainment on the day but also acknowledge the spirit of the day.

The Government's lead agency - Child, Youth and Family - states the themes of the day are giving time, praise and encouragement, listening and talking, love and affection, and new experiences.

"We've been working with Child, Youth and Family in developing the day" Dome said.

"Not only will there be national Children's Day staff on site to represent the day, we will also be hosting about 100 parents and kids from CYF families - most of whom would never be able to attend a professional sports event".

'It's consistent with our Charity and Community Programmes to be a part of our wonderful local community".

Gates open at 1pm and the Phoenix v Gold Coast kicks off at 4.30pm.

Buy tickets, including print at home Ezy tickets, : here