Cape Town Stadium
| Cape Town Stadium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Fritz Sonnenberg Road, Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 33°54′12.46″S 18°24′40.15″E / 33.9034611°S 18.4111528°E |
| Broke ground | 26 March 2007 |
| Opened | 14 December 2009 |
| Owner | City of Cape Town |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost |
R 4.4 billion (USD $ 600 million £ 415 million) |
| Architect | GMP Architects, Louis Karol Architects, Point Architects |
| General contractor | Murray and Roberts/ WBHO |
| Capacity | 55,000 |
| Field dimensions | 290 x 265 x 48 m [1] |
| Tenants | |
|
Ajax Cape Town (PSL) (2010-present) | |
The Cape Town Stadium (Afrikaans: Kaapstad-stadion; Xhosa: Inkundla yezemidlalo yaseKapa)[2] in Cape Town, South Africa is a newly built stadium that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[3] During the planning stage, it was known as the Green Point Stadium, which was the name of the previous stadium on the site, and this name was also used frequently during World Cup media coverage.
The stadium is located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Cape Town city centre and to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular tourist and shopping venue. The stadium has a gross capacity of 64,100.[4] The stadium is connected to the waterfront by a new road connection, Granger Bay Boulevard, and is surrounded by a 60 hectare urban park. The stadium was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts.
Name
During construction, Cape Town Stadium was unofficially known as Green Point Stadium, the name of an older stadium demolished to make way for the new stadium. During October 2009, the city asked for the public to propose names for the new stadium and the name Cape Town Stadium was chosen.[2]
Previous stadium
The old stadium
The stadium is adjacent to the site of the original 18,000 seater stadium Green Point Stadium. It replaces a portion of the Metropolitan Golf Club site which has now been realigned.
The previous stadium, which was partly demolished in 2007, was a multi-purpose stadium used mainly for football matches, and was the home ground of Santos Football Club and Ajax Cape Town at different points. It also hosted music concerts including Michael Jackson, U2, Metallica, Paul Simon, Robbie Williams, the Coca Cola Colab Massive Mix, and the 2003 46664 Concert for the benefit of AIDS victims. It has been redeveloped the stadium into an athletics stadium with 7,000 seats. This redevelopment was completed in early 2013 [5]
Design
Construction of the Cape Town Stadium, located on the Green Point Common, began in March 2007. In 33 months, joint contractors Murray & Roberts and WBHO completed the project at a cost of R4.4billion – or approximately US$600million. The project architects were an association between GMP Architects of Germany and two local firms, Louis Karol and Associates and Point Architects. The structural engineers comprised a joint venture between BKS, Henry Fagan & Partners, KFD Wilkinson, Goba, Iliso and Arcus Gibb.[6]
Handing over
Cape Town Stadium was officially handed over to the City of Cape Town on schedule on 14 December 2009. At a ceremony in front of over 200 invited guests and the media representatives from around the world, Cape Town Executive Mayor Alderman Dan Plato, received the keys to the stadium officially confirming the opening of Cape Town Stadium.[7]
Usage after the World Cup
A consortium consisting of South Africa's Sail Group and French-based Stade de France were awarded the service contract to operate the stadium and ensure that it remains a sustainable multi-purpose venue after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The consortium, called Business Venture Investments 1317, was involved in the management of the stadium from January 2009 onwards. The city municipality paid the consortium to manage the stadium up to and during the World Cup, after which the consortium will lease the stadium from the city for a period of not less than 10 years and not more than 30 years.[8]
Following the World Cup, the stadium capacity was reduced to 55,000, enabling it to cater for all types of sports, including rugby, as well as music concerts and other major events. The stadium features corporate hospitality suites, medical, training, and conferencing and banqueting facilities. The consortium will operate the stadium as well as manage and maintain the defined areas of the surrounding urban park and sport precinct on the 85-hectare Greenpoint Common from stadium revenue.[9]
Ajax Cape Town are currently using the stadium as their home ground during the 2010-11 Premier Soccer League season till present.[10]
Inaugural games
The first game to be hosted at the new Cape Town Stadium was a Cape Town derby between Ajax Cape Town and Santos on 23 January 2010 as part of the official inauguration of the stadium. Only 20,000 tickets were made available for the event and were sold out by Friday 15 January 2010. The Soccer Festival had entertainment from local band Freshlyground and a Vuvuzela orchestra performance during half time.
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Team 1 | Res. | Team 2 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 January 2010 | 16:00 |  Ajax Cape Town | 0(5) – 0(6) | Santos | 20,000 |
The second of three 'dry runs' at the new Cape Town Stadium was another Cape Town derby. Local Cape Town rugby teams, The Vodacom Stormers and the Boland Inv. XV battled it out at the Cape Town Rugby Festival that took place on 6 February 2010. The Rugby Festival had entertainment from local band Flat Stanley. Only 40,000 tickets were made available for the event. This was double the amount that attended the Soccer Festival.
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Team 1 | Res. | Team 2 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 February 2010 | 16:15 | Vodacom Stormers | 47–13 | Boland Inv. XV | 40,000 |
Cape Town Stadium hosted its third test event on Monday 22 March, during which all 55,000 permanent seats were available for the first time. A total of 52,000 tickets were sold.
‘Cape Town For Jesus’, a religious gathering addressed by South African evangelist Angus Buchan, was the first major non-sporting event hosted at the stadium, and gave the stadium operators another chance to test their readiness ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Event | Capacity | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 March 2010 | 13:00 | Cape Town For Jesus | 55,000 | 52,000 |
Cape Town Stadium hosted its fourth and final test event on Saturday 10 April. This was the first time that the stadium was utilised at night, for the International Under-20 Soccer Challenge between South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria and Ghana. About 40,000 attended the event that tested the stadium's readiness for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Team 1 | Res. | Team 2 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 April 2010 | 18:00 |  Ghana U/20 | 0–1 |  Brazil U/20 | 40,000 |
| 10 April 2010 | 20:30 | South Africa U/20 | 1–3 |  Nigeria U/20 | 40,000 |
2010 FIFA World Cup
In the World Cup, hosted five first round matches, one second round, one quarter-final, and one semi-final.[11] During the World Cup, all FIFA media referred to the stadium as 'Green Point Stadium'.
Matches
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Team 1 | Res. | Team 2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Uruguay | 0–0 |  France | Group A | 64,100 |
| 14 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Italy | 1–1 |  Paraguay | Group F | 62,869 |
| 18 June 2010 | 20.30 |  England | 0–0 |  Algeria | Group C | 64,100 |
| 21 June 2010 | 13.30 |  Portugal | 7–0 |  Korea DPR | Group G | 63,644 |
| 24 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Cameroon | 1–2 |  Netherlands | Group E | 63,093 |
| 29 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Spain | 1–0 | Portugal | Round of 16 | 62,955 |
| 3 July 2010 | 16.00 |  Argentina | 0–4 |  Germany | Quarter Finals | 64,100 |
| 6 July 2010 | 20.30 | Uruguay | 2–3 | Netherlands | Semi Finals | 62,479 |
International friendly
On 17 November 2010, the Cape Town Stadium hosted its first international friendly. The match was between South Africa and the USA, where they played for the Nelson Mandela Challenge Trophy.
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 November 2010 | 21.30 | South Africa | 0–1 |  United States | 52,000 |
| 19 January 2011 | 17.00 |  Botswana | 1–2 |  Sweden | 2,000 |
| 21 July 2012 | 15.00 | Ajax Cape Town | 1–1 | Manchester United | 53,000 |
| 8 January 2012 | 20.15 | South Africa | 0–1 |  Norway | |
| 21 January 2013 | 16.00 | Jomo Cosmos | 0–4 |  Grasshopper Club Zürich | 100 |
| 26 January 2013 | 16.00 | Ajax Cape Town | 2–1 | Grasshopper Club Zürich | 200 |
| 23 March 2013 | 20.15 | South Africa | 2–0 |  Central African Republic | 36,740 |
Rugby
| Date | Time (UTC+2) | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 February 2013 | 14.45 | Vodacom Stormers | – | Boland Inv. XV |
Concerts
| Date | Band | Tour Name | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 February 2011 | U2 | U2 360° Tour | 72,532 |
| 11 April 2011 | Neil Diamond | - | |
| 5 October 2011 | Coldplay | 47,000 - 60,000 [12][13] | |
| 26 October 2011 | Kings of Leon | Come Around Sundown World Tour | 40,000+ [14] |
| 7 November 2012 | Linkin Park | Living Things World Tour | 55,000[15] |
| 3 December 2012 | Lady Gaga | The Born This Way Ball Tour | 39 527 [16] |
| 5 February 2013 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | I'm With You World Tour | - |
| 7 May 2013 | Bon Jovi | Because We Can - The Tour | 35,407 [17] |
| 8 May 2013 | Justin Bieber | Believe Tour | 65,000[18] |
| 16 October 2013 | Rihanna | Diamonds World Tour | 39,616 |
| 26 February 2014 | Eminem | The Rapture Tour |
Movies
Cape Town Stadium was featured in the film Safe House (2012). The stadium also features in many local advertising and print media campaigns.
Incidents
On 7 November 2012, shortly before U.S rock band Linkin Park was set to perform at the sold-out stadium, gusts of wind caused advertising scaffolding outside the arena to collapse onto a crowd of people injuring 19 and killing 1, of the 19 injured, 12 were taken to hospital for further treatment.[19]
References
- ↑ http://www.capetownmagazine.com/news/68-000-Seats-2-300-Workers-1-New-Green-Point-Stadium/10_22_10140
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pollack, Martin (30 October 2009). "The city's 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium has a new name: Cape Town Stadium". City of Cape Town.
- ↑ "Stadium Complete". Shine 2010. 17 December 2009.
- ↑ "Cape Town Stadium". FIFA. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- ↑ http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1323131
- ↑ "CT Stadium Construction Information". Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ↑ "Cape Town Stadium Opening". City of Cape Town. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ↑ Warby, Vivian (1 December 2008). "Greenpoint stadium operator chosen". Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ↑ "Greenpoint stadium operator chosen". SouthAfrica.info. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ↑ "Chiefs to use Rand Stadium this season". KickOff Magazine. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ↑ "2010 Fifa World Cup: success stories". SouthAfrica.info. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
- ↑ "Coldplay rocks Cape Town". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ↑ "Coldplay fans enjoy a sold-out concert at Cape Town Stadium". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ↑ "Kings of Leon play to forty thousand fans - Cape Town". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ↑ "Linkin Park: Living Things Tour – Cape Town Concert". Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ↑ "Born This Way Ball". Wikipedia. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
- ↑ "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ↑ "Justin Bieber sends Cape Town into hysteria". Channel24. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ↑ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/one_dead_and_several_injured_at_linkin_park_show_in_cape_town.html
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cape Town Stadium. |
- Cape Town Stadium
- Cape Town Stadium City of Cape Town FIFA 2010 website
- Cape Town Stadium Cape Town Tourism website
- 360 View
- 360 degree Virtual Tour (5 locations) 360SouthAfrica
Coordinates: 33°54′12.46″S 18°24′40.15″E / 33.9034611°S 18.4111528°E
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