Friends of the Stadium Fund

ILT Stadium Southland is Southland’s place to show up for sport, for each other, and for everyday moments.

Each year, more than 550,000 people walk through its doors. From toddlers taking their first steps onto the court, to athletes competing at the highest level, to families, schools and community groups gathering under one roof, cheering each other on, the stadium is part of everyday life in this region. The stadium is one of Southland’s most used and relied-on spaces. It is worth safeguarding, not just as a facility, but as a place where lasting memories are made across the region.

The Friends of the Stadium Fund has been established in partnership with the Southland Foundation to help protect and grow that for the future. Launched with an initial $100,000 endowment, the fund begins with an incredibly generous and anonymous donation from a Southlander. This founding gift is a meaningful act of belief in the stadium and in the role it plays for this community, setting the tone for what this fund can become over time.

Donations to the fund are invested by the Southland Foundation, with the returns used over time to help maintain, improve and sustain the stadium as a welcoming, accessible place for the whole community.

From small upgrades to long-term improvements, the fund helps:

keep the stadium accessible
maintain the spaces people rely onsupport community use
keep it beautiful for future generations

This includes practical outcomes like helping keep courts open, maintaining well-used spaces, and supporting affordable access for the community. It also offers a simple way for the community to directly support the place they use, helping ensure it remains strong and accessible without relying on any single source of funding.

You can contribute at any level, with donations starting from as little as $5.

By giving to the Friends of the Stadium Fund, you are helping ensure this place remains here for future generations, just as others have already stepped forward to support it.