From conversation in the morning, I managed to pick up of a local rugby game that was being played tonight. Rugby is a big sport in Hamilton with locals showing their pride by supporting the local Chiefs at the Waikato Stadium. It was just my luck that tonight’s match was a rivalry between the Chiefs and Crusaders. I meet up with the youth from this morning and while being tourists themselves, they joined in on the fun and wrapped up in red, black and yellow. By wearing these colours they were able to distinguish themselves from the Crusaders supporters while having the identity and recognition of being Chiefs supporters. It showed not only the identity of the team but their identity as an individual. As we were restricted by a tight budget, our tickets were in the ‘greenzone’. As I looked around I observed the youth among us. Listening to the pre-match entertainment I understood that the ‘greenzone’ had developed a reputation for being the area for students, energy and entertainment. Looking further around the stadium, I noticed that while everyone is showing their support and passion, they were more reserved. Being seated in the ‘greenzone’ lifted my spirits and got me more into the. I was able to sing along with the presumed students and even participated in the odd Mexican wave. I enjoyed my time at this stadium as I was able to witness the mixing of identities from locals, visitors and Hamilton which made for a great atmosphere to be involved in.
(Photos courtesy of Lauren McKain, segwaynz.files, waikatostadium 2010)
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