Kings Park Stadium
| The Shark Tank | |
 | |
| Address | Durban |
|---|---|
| Location | Durban, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 29°49′30″S 31°1′47″E / 29.82500°S 31.02972°ECoordinates: 29°49′30″S 31°1′47″E / 29.82500°S 31.02972°E |
| Owner | eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality |
| Capacity | 52,000[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1958 |
| Renovated | 1990s |
| Tenants | |
| Sharks, Natal Sharks | |
The Kings Park Stadium (also known as Growthpoint Kings Park[2] for sponsorship reasons and also commercially promoted as The Shark Tank), is a stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa. The stadium was originally built with a capacity of 12,000 and opened in 1958,[3][4] extensively renovated in the 1980s and then again in time for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It currently has a capacity of 52,000[3] 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.
It was previously also known as the ABSA Stadium[5] and Mr Price Kings Park Stadium[6] due to sponsorship deals.
1995 Rugby World Cup
The stadium was used as one of the venues for the 1995 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. A very wet semi final was played here on 17 June 1995 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
| Artist | Tour | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Whitney Houston | The Bodyguard World Tour | 8 November 1994 |
| Bon Jovi | These Days Tour | 3 December 1995 |
| Tina Turner | Wildest Dreams Tour | 18 April 1996 |
| Gloria Estefan | The Evolution Tour | 20 March 1997 |
| Michael Jackson | HIStory World Tour | 15 October 1997* |
| Janet Jackson | The Velvet Rope Tour | 19 November 1998 |
| Metallica | Escape from the Studio '06 | 21 March 2006 |
| Robbie Williams | Close Encounters Tour | 10 April 2006 |
| Celine Dion | Taking Chances World Tour | 20 February 2008 |
- This was the last concert of The HIStory World Tour and Michael Jackson's last ever tour concert.
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.[7] However, this is unlikely as they have a 50-year lease on Kings Park which runs through 2056.[8]
References
- ↑ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/africa/south-africa/growthpoint-kings-park/
- ↑ "New stadium naming rights sponsor" (Press release). The Sharks & Growthpoint Properties. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- 1 2 "Stadium history". The Sharks. Retrieved 25 Jun 2014.
- ↑ "Facts about Durban - Kings Park". Allan Jackson. 6 Mar 2007. Retrieved 25 Jun 2014.
- ↑ "Sharks Boss Says Absa Dropped Sponsorship to Back Boks". allAfrica. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
- ↑ "Sharks name Kings Park Sponsor". Planet Rugby. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
- ↑ "Demolish Absa Stadium, Newlands". iol News. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ↑ "Sharks to Stay Put". The Sharks. 19 November 2010.
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