Carisbrook the early 2000s. Between 1884 and 2008 Carisbrook hosted 252 first-class cricket matches, including, between 1955 and 1998, 10 Test cricket matches. It was also the home ground of Otago United in the New Zealand Football Championship, which moved to the lower-capacity Sunnyvale Park for the 2008–09 season. The ground's final regular capacity was around 30,000, but has hosted crowds as high as 42,000 in the past with temporary seating. Until 1998 the sides of the Caversham bypass motorway allowed a free view of the ground and was known as the "Scotsman's Grandstand". Occasionally trains would slow to a crawl
Carisbrook or stop on the track above the stadium to allowing passengers to watch an entire event. In 1998 a new stand and corporate boxes were built that blocked the view. Partly due to Dunedin's relatively large number of tertiary students (20,000 of the city's 120,000 population), Carisbrook has a unique atmosphere. This is enhanced by the terraces, an uncovered concrete embankment at the eastern end of the ground. On 9 August 2006, a proposal was announced that would see Carisbrook retired and a 30,000 capacity covered stadium built in Dunedin North, close to other major sporting facilities such as Logan