21 Sep 2011

Fans urged to leave stadium area after matches

7:06 pm on 21 September 2011

Police and the Auckland Council are encouraging rugby fans to head away from Eden Park stadium after Rugby World Cup games to help avoid crowd control problems.

The Auckland Management Committee of police and council representatives have met to discuss World Cup planning and Saturday night's crowd congestion in the Kingsland area.

Following the Australia-Ireland game, police were called at times to deal with crowds that had overflowed from bars into busy streets.

The committee says fans will in future be asked to go to nearby suburbs, like Parnell, Ponsonby and Newmarket, after games and work will be done to improve the enforcement of the liquor ban in Kingsland.

The next big match at Eden Park is on Saturday, when the All Blacks play France.