On the night of 23 October 2011, anxious fans endured the heart-stopping last minutes of the Rugby World Cup final as the All Blacks ground out a win by the narrowest of margins to again lift the Webb Ellis Cup. Watching in the stands was Martin Snedden, who had been charged with organising and delivering the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. In A STADIUM OF FOUR MILLION, Snedden provides an erudite and brilliantly insightful analysis of the event, the largest to date in New Zealand, with a detailed background of its successful staging. He takes us on the journey from the drama and excitement of ‘selling our story’ bidding for the tournament, through the organisation process to getting everyone working together to deliver it, with all the successes and speed bumps on the way. National and provincial rugby unions, tourism, accommodation and transport providers, two successive governments and, ultimately, all New Zealanders rallied to the cause. The ‘stadium of four million’ delivered – and delivered something special.

Author Biography

A lawyer by profession, Martin Snedden has always had a passion for cricket and rugby. At cricket he represented Auckland, as well as New Zealand between 1980 and 1990. In all, he played 25 tests and 93 one day internationals and represented his country at two world cups. Martin was CEO of New Zealand Cricket for nearly six years to 2007, his tenure encompassing top-five rankings for the Black Caps, but also marked by the turbulence of terrorist incidents and player contract negotiations. From 2007 to 2011, he headed Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd, which successfully organised and delivered the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In June 2012 he took up the role of CEO of the Tourism Industry Association. He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours in 2012. Martin is married to Annie, and they have four children.