Kings Park Stadium

Kings Park
The Shark Tank
Location Durban, South Africa
Broke ground 1880s
Opened 1891
Renovated 1990s
Owner Durban City Council
Surface Grass
Capacity 55,000
Tenants
Sharks, Natal Sharks

Kings Park (also known for sponsorship reasons as Mr Price Kings Park Stadium,[1] previously also known as the ABSA Stadium,[2] and also commercially promoted as The Shark Tank), is a stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa, which was originally built in 1891 and extensively renovated in the 1990s. It has a capacity of 55,000 and is the home ground of the Sharks. The stadium has also been used by Durban based Premier Soccer League football (soccer) clubs, as well as for large football finals.

Contents

1995 Rugby World Cup

In 1995 the stadium was one of the host venues for the Rugby World Cup held in South Africa. The stadium hosted three pool games in Pool B. The stadium also hosted one quarter final with France defeating Ireland 36-12. The stadium was then used for the semi final between South Africa and France, with the Springboks winning 19-15 on their way to the nation's first ever Rugby World Cup trophy.

Date Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Attendance
1995-05-27  Argentina 18–24  England Pool B 30,000
1995-05-31  England 27–20  Italy Pool B 21,000
1995-06-04  England 44–22  Western Samoa Pool B 20,000
1995-06-10  France 36–12  Ireland Quarter Final 18,000
1995-06-17  South Africa 19–15  France Semi Final 50,000

1996 African Cup of Nations

The stadium was one of four venues for the 1996 African Cup of Nations. It hosted 3 group matches, a quarter final and semi final.

Date Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Attendance
1996-01-16  Gabon 1–2  Liberia Group C 5,000
1996-01-19  Gabon 2–0  Zaire Group c 6,000
1996-01-24  Angola 3–3  Cameroon Group A 6,000
1996-01-28  Gabon 1-1 (1-4 on pen.)  Tunisia Quarterfinal 4,000
1996-01-31  Zambia 2–4  Tunisia Semifinal 5,000

Other events

On 15 October 1997, Michael Jackson performed his final full concert here, concluding HIStory World Tour. On 21 March 2006, Metallica performend in Durban

Future

With the construction of the new Moses Mabhida Stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than 200m away, the local government had hoped that the Sharks would have relocated.[3] However, this is unlikely as they have a 50-year lease on Kings Park which runs through 2056.[4]

References

External links