 FOOTBALL STADIUMS » South Africa’s 10 Stadiums chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Numerous exciting preparations are underway for the FIFA World Cup 2010. Five of South Africa's football stadiums are undergoing major upgrades. They are the two stadiums Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Mafikeng (North West Province), and Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein (Free State). Brand new stadiums are going to be built at Mbombela in Mpumalanga and at the Nelson Mandela Metro (Port Elizabeth surrounds) in the Eastern Cape. Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane (Limpopo), Moses Mabidha Stadium in Durban and Cape Town's Green Point stadium will all be entirely rebuilt.
Kings Park (King Senzangakhona Stadium) and Green Point stadium will develop into totally new multi-sport amenities.
Green Point stadium will be constructed with a retractable dome to shelter spectators and players should Cape Town's changeable winter weather become unfavourable.
Source: Soccerex
SOCCEREX, the biggest football exhibition and convention in the world will be staged in South Africa over the next three years. Football associations, clubs, businesses and the media from all around the globe will be flocking to Gauteng province from November 2007 to 2009. It attracts football legends and top football clubs from more than 75 nations - estimations of around R7-billion in business deal negotiations are expected by the end of 2009.
"Football is a multibillion-dollar industry," said Soccerex chairman Tony Martin. "Just to give you and indication, of all the sports products purchased in the world, 75% of them are for football. This is a massive business, and the benefits to the Gauteng economy will be huge."
Source: SOCCEREX
JOHANNESBURG
Ellis Park
South Park Road, Doornfontein, Johannesburg
Tel: +27 (0)11 402 8644 / 8
Website: Ellis Park Stadium
Built in 1927, Ellis Park hosted its first rugby international test in 1928. It rocketed to international fame when it hosted the final game of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand. The Springboks triumphed over the All Blacks in a knuckle biting final that burst into nationwide jubilation.
The world’s favourite statesman, former President Nelson Mandela donned the Springbok number 6 jersey of 'bok' captain Francois Pienaar to present the trophy – an unforgettable occasion that delighted people around the globe. Ellis Park is a first-rate stadium equipped with outstanding facilities. Its home to the Golden Lions Rugby Union, the Premier Soccer League’s Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows as well as big music concerts featuring famous superstars like the Rolling Stones. Ellis Park has also hosted some of the world’s best football sides - Brazil, Manchester United and Arsenal. The capacity of Ellis Park will be increased so that it will carry seating for to 60 000 people.
Soccer City (FNB Stadium)
Nasrec, Johannesburg
Tel: +27 (0)11 494 3522
South Africa’s national football stadium, Soccer City was built in 1987 and is home to the South African Football Association. Host to the 1996 African Cup of Nations, Soccer City is South Africa’s prime football venue and it will be the most important venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - the kick-off site for the opening and the final match. At the moment it has a seating capacity for 80 000 people and will be enlarged to accommodate 94 700 people for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Soccer City is the main match venue for Bafana Bafana, as well as the simmering contests between local Soweto rivals, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
CAPE TOWN
African Renaissance Stadium
Green Point
The African Renaissance Stadium will be a fundamental upgrade of the Green Point Stadium, a multi-purpose sports facility situated between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Town's seaboard suburb of Green Point.
Still in its planning phase, the African Renaissance Stadium is scheduled to be completed by June 2008 and will provide seating for 68,000 people. It will be constructed with a retractable dome to shelter spectators and players should Cape Town's unpredictable winter weather become unfavourable.
DURBAN
ABSA Stadium
Jacko Jackson Road, Durban
Tel: +27 (0)31 308 8400
Durban’s Absa Stadium, formerly known as King’s Park Stadium, had a massive revamp in 1990. It has often been one of the favourite venues for Bafana Bafana matches. It was here that Bafana Bafana; the South African national soccer side played the English side, being beaten 2-1. This was an historic occasion, launching South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Moses Mabhida Stadium
Moses Mabhida Stadium will host one of the 2010 Fifa World Cup semifinals. This brand new stadium is under construction next to the existing Absa Stadium and have seating for up to 80 000 fans. The whole area will be developed and incorporate Olympic standard football, athletics and swimming facilities.
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Durban
This vibey and colourful semi-tropical city has strong eastern ties - it's a truly multicultural city with a strong emphasis on the beach. Pack your boardshorts or bikini, sunglasses and skimpy evening gear and revel in Durban's endless summer - it averages 320 days of sunshine a year! Needing some action? The surfing's great in the heart of the city and up or down the coast, there's awesome diving with sharks on the South Coast and beautiful coral reefs up in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, along with fantastic wildlife viewing there and at Hluhluwe/Umfolozi. Durban is KwaZulu-Natal's holiday Mecca and there's a wide range of beachfront accommodation to suit all pockets along the coastline.
Link to view Durban Travel Guide or Accommodation in Durban. Durban Map.
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PORT ELIZABETH
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
The first and second round 2010 World Cup matches will be hosted at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape are soon to become beneficiaries of a brand new futuristic multi-purpose stadium with seating for 49 500 spectators. Scheduled to be completed in June 2007, it will be conveniently located near the N2 highway, just a few kilometres from the coast and the port of Coega.
PRETORIA (TSHWANE)
Loftus Versfeld
Kirkness Street, Sunnyside, Pretoria
Tel: +27 (0)12 344 4011
One of South Africa’s top stadiums with a seating capacity for 45 000 people and situated in South Africa’s capital Pretoria (Tshwane), Loftus Versfeld was one of the primary venues for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It’s also the home turf of the Premier Soccer League dynamos Mamelodi Sundowns, the Blue Bulls Currie Cup rugby team and the Bulls Super 12 rugby squad.
In addition to being one of South Africa’s premier sporting venues, Loftus Versfeld is also a thriving venue for big concerts.
NELSPRUIT
Mbombela Stadium
The Mbombela Stadium is one of the new stadiums to be constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Located just 8 km north of Nelspruit, the closest venue to the hugely popular Kruger National Park, it promises to be a popular and convenient location for a football safari. The brand new elevated stadium will be able to seat 40,000 people and have excellent views from all positions.
BLOEMFONTEIN
Free State Stadium / Vodacom Park
Horak Avenue, Bloemfontein
Tel: +27 (0)51 407 1700
Bloemfontein certainly doesn’t lack when it comes to sports facilities and there’s a fine assortment – the 38 000-seater Free State Stadium is companion to an international standard athletics stadium, the Goodyear Park cricket grounds which is used for international matches, an artificial turf hockey stadium and great tennis facilities.
The 1995 Rugby World Cup brought about a significantly improved stadium with seating bordering the field. Bloemfontein Stadium has also hosted international football events – some of the 1996 African Cup of Nations matches were played here. Improvements are underway for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with the seating capacity enlarged to accommodate 40,000 people and upgrades to other facilities.
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Bloemfontein
A wonderful stopover between Cape Town and Durban and the closest city to the Kingdom of Lesotho. Its biggest secret is that it's the birthplace of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Bloemfontein offers some reasonable and very good accommodation, restaurants, art galleries and museums. Link to view Bloemfontein Travel Guide or Accommodation in Bloemfontein. Bloemfontein Map.
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RUSTENBURG
Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace
The fairly recently built Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in the North West Province is a multi-purpose venue that is virtually ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Once the few improvements have been made it will have a seating capacity of 40,000 and have state of the art electronic scoreboards and floodlights. It is named after the Royal Bafokeng community, a group who manage the world’s richest platinum mines and who exclusively funded the sports grounds.
The stadium is entirely funded by the Royal Bafokeng community that presides over the world’s richest platinum mines in the North West province.
POLOKWANE / PIETERSBURG
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The Peter Mokaba Stadium in the Limpopo Province is one more venue set to score from a major revamp – another excellent spin-off from South Africa’s successful 2010 FIFA World Cup bid. Once renovations are completed it will comfortably seat 40 000 people and be equipped with stylish international standard facilities.
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