Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Wikipedia

Cape Town Stadium

The Cape Town Stadium (Afrikaans: Kaapstad-stadion; Xhosa: Inkundla yezemidlalo yaseKapa;[2] known until 2025 as the DHL Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is an association football (soccer) and rugby union stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, that was built as part of the country's hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[3]

DHL Stadium (Cape Town Stadium)
Map
Full nameDHL Stadium
LocationFritz Sonnenberg Road, Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa
Coordinates33°54′12″S 18°24′40″E / 33.90333°S 18.41111°E / -33.90333; 18.41111
OwnerCity of Cape Town
Capacity58,310
Field size125m x 68m[1]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground26 March 2007
Built2007–2009
Opened14 December 2009
Construction costR 4.4 billion
(USD $ 600 million
£ 415 million)
ArchitectGMP Architects, Louis Karol Architects, Point Architects
General contractorMurray & Roberts/ WBHO
Tenants
Cape Town Spurs F.C. (2010–2021)
Cape Town City F.C. (2016–present)
WP Rugby Union (2021–present)
Stormers (2021–present)

During the planning stage, it was known as the Green Point Stadium, which was the name of the older stadium on an adjacent site, and this name was also used frequently during World Cup media coverage. It is the home ground of WP Rugby and the DHL Stormers (since 2021), Premier Soccer League clubs Cape Town Spurs (since 2010) and Cape Town City (since 2016). It has also hosted the South Africa Sevens rugby tournament since 2015 and hosted the Rugby 7s World Cup in 2022.[citation needed]

The stadium is located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Cape Town city center and to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a popular tourist and shopping venue.[citation needed]

The stadium had a seating capacity of 64,100 during the 2010 World Cup,[4] later reduced to 58,309.[5] The stadium is connected to the Waterfront by a new road connection; Granger Bay Boulevard.[citation needed]

Cape Town Stadium is the largest stadium in Cape Town, and the fifth-largest in South Africa.[citation needed]

Naming

edit
 
 
Green Point Stadium
class=notpageimage|
Location of the stadium in the Cape Town metropolitan area

During construction, Cape Town Stadium was unofficially known as Green Point Stadium; the name of an older stadium, then-situated adjacent to it, that was partially demolished and rebuilt into the Green Point Athletics Stadium.[citation needed]

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]

With effect from June 2021, the City of Cape Town as owner of the stadium, through a municipal entity, concluded a multi-year sponsorship agreement with DHL for a period of four years, from 2021 to 2025.[6] It included renaming the stadium to the DHL Stadium.[7]

In this regard, Peter-John Veldhuizen, chairperson of the Board of the Cape Town Stadium (RF) Soc Ltd said: "DHL’s contribution as our naming rights partner has certainly made a significant impact on the bottom line of the business".[8] As a result, in 2022–2022 the revenue target was exceeded by 30% and the grant funding from the City of Cape Town was reduced from R61m to R42m.[6]

Previous stadium

edit
The old stadium
 
The beginnings of the former Green Point Stadium during the Second Boer War
 
Aerial view of the old Green Point Stadium, which was partly demolished and rebuilt during 2007

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, originally constructed in 1897 and which was partly demolished in 2007 and rebuilt in 2013 as the Green Point Athletics Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium used for cycling, athletics, cricket and soccer. Later used mainly for soccer matches, it was the home ground of Santos Football Club and Ajax Cape Town at different points. It also hosted music concerts, including the November 2003 46664 Concert for the benefit of AIDS victims.[9] The section of the old stadium that remained was redeveloped into the Green Point Athletics Stadium, which opened in 2015 with a seating capacity of 4500.[10]

Design

edit
 
An aerial view of the stadium from just above its roof.
 
Cape Town stadium viewed from Signal Hill

Construction of the Cape Town Stadium, located on the Green Point Common, began in March 2007.

In 33 months, joint venture contractors Murray & Roberts, now known as Concor 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 local firms, Louis Karol Architects and the joint venture practice Point Architects comprising Comrie Wilkinson Architects and Urban Designers, Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers, Munnik Visser Architects and Paragon Architects. The lead urban designer for the 18hactare stadium precinct was Henri Comrie.

The structural engineers comprised a joint venture between BKS, Henry Fagan & Partners, KFD Wilkinson, Goba, Iliso and Arcus Gibb.[11]

Handing over

edit

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.[12]

The pedestrian route from the central city to the stadium was designated as the Fanwalk, highlighting local businesses and providing entertainment, while promoting crowd safety.[13][14]

After the World Cup

edit

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.[15]

However, in December 2010 the Sail/Stade de France consortium cancelled the lease. Reports in the media at the time said that the consortium considered the agreement as non-viable. The City subsequently took over management of the stadium.[16]

Following the World Cup, temporary rows of seating on either side on the top tier were replaced by events suites and clubrooms, reducing the stadium's capacity to 58,300.[17] 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.[18]

The Greenpoint Park was completed within a year of the World Cup ending as was promised to the people of Cape Town during the public consultation process preceding stadium construction. The park has since become one of Cape Town's most popular recreational facilities and has acted as a catalyst for significant improvements to surrounding buildings and spaces through spontaneous private sector investment.

Ajax Cape Town have used the stadium as their home ground from the 2010–11 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season onwards.[19] Due to the stadium's ongoing financial problems, the City of Cape Town had sought to acquire Western Province rugby as an "anchor tenant". After four years of talks, Western Province announced in December 2014 that they had decided to remain at Newlands Stadium.[20] In March 2015, the South African Rugby Union announced that the South Africa Sevens tournament would be staged at Cape Town Stadium for four years, beginning in December 2015.[21]

In June 2016, it was announced that new PSL club Cape Town City would also play at Cape Town Stadium.[22]

In late 2020, Western Province RFU announced that they were selling their longtime home of Newlands Stadium to developers, who planned to demolish the ground and convert it to a mixed-use development. From 2021 onwards, franchise rugby team Stormers and Currie Cup side WP will call Cape Town Stadium home, as will international rugby tests played in Cape Town.

Cape Town Stadium (RF) SOC Ltd

edit

The Cape Town Stadium (RF) SOC Ltd, a municipal entity of the City of Cape Town, was formed in 2018 to provide various operational services to the stadium.[8]

In 2021 the Entity entered into a sponsorships agreement with DHL, granting naming rights to the company. Since then the stadium has officially been known as the DHL Stadium.

Inaugural games

edit

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 (SAST) Team 1 Res. Team 2 Attendance
23 January 2010 16:00   Ajax Cape Town 0–0
(5–6 pen.)		   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 (SAST) 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 (SAST) 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 (SAST) Team 1 Res. Team 2 Attendance
10 April 2010 18:00   Ghana U-20 0–1   Brazil U-20 40,000
20:30   South Africa U-20 1–3   Nigeria U-20

Sporting and events

edit

2010 FIFA World Cup

edit

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cape Town Stadium hosted five first round matches, one second round, one quarter-final, and one semi-final.[23] During the World Cup, all FIFA media referred to the stadium as 'Green Point Stadium'.

Matches

edit
Date Time (SAST) Team #1 Result 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   North Korea 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 friendlies

edit

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 (SAST) Team 1 Result 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 2–1 200
23 March 2013 20:15   South Africa 2–0   Central African Republic 36,740

Rugby Union

edit

DHL Stadium hosts numerous rugby matches each year. Prior to 2021, the stadium hosted several Stormers matches when they couldn't play at their previous home ground in Newlands. Beginning in 2021, Western Province Rugby and the DHL Stormers announced that they would use DHL Stadium as their home ground for both the domestic Currie Cup and international URC competitions. During their first season at their new home, the Stormers defeated their South African rivals, the Vodacom Bulls, to win the URC Final at DHL Stadium. The Stormer's success in the URC qualified the team to compete in the European Rugby Championship during the 2022/23 season with several matches being hosted at the DHL Stadium, in addition to those for the Currie Cup and URC. DHL Stadium also played host to the Stormers' URC playoff matches during the 2022/23 season after they won home field advantage, including the URC Final scheduled for May 27, 2023.

DHL Stadium has also hosted international rugby union matches played by South Africa's Springboks. In July 2021 the Springboks defeated the British & Irish Lions in a 3 match series that were hosted at the stadium no fans were allowed because of COVID-19. In July 2022, the Springboks defeated Wales at DHL Stadium in what was South African lock Eben Etzebeth's 100th test for the national team. And, in September 2024 The Springboks defeated New Zealand at the Stadium.

 
FlySafair Boeing 737-800 Flying over DHL Stadium at a South Africa vs New Zealand Match in September 2024
Date Time (SAST) Team #1 Score Team #2 Attendance
9 February 2013 14.45   Vodacom Stormers –   Boland Inv. XV
3 February 2019 17.00   DHL Stormers 33–28   Vodacom Bulls 50,000
14 July 2021 18.00   South Africa A 17–13 British & Irish Lions 0
17 July 2021 18.00   DHL Stormers 3–49 British & Irish Lions 0
14 July 2021 18.00   South Africa 17–22 British & Irish Lions 0
21 July 2021 18.00 27–9 British & Irish Lions 0
7 August 2021 18.00 19–16 British & Irish Lions 0
16 July 2022 17.05 30–14   Wales 56,000
7 September 2024 17.00 18-12   New Zealand 58,310

World Rugby Sevens Series

edit

See also World Rugby Sevens Series

The World Rugby Sevens Series hosts a tournament each year in Cape Town, traditionally in December. It was played annually from 2015 to 2019. However, no tournaments took place during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the competition returned to Cape Town during the 2022–23 season.

Date Event Year Winner
12–13 December 2015 2015 South Africa Sevens   South Africa
10–11 December 2016 2016 South Africa Sevens   England
9–10 December 2017 2017 South Africa Sevens   New Zealand
8–9 December 2018 2018 South Africa Sevens   Fiji
13–15 December 2019 2019 South Africa Sevens   New Zealand
9-11 December 2022 2022 South Africa Sevens   Samoa
8–10 December 2023 2023 South Africa Sevens   Argentina(men)   Australia(women)

2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens

edit

In September 2022, DHL Stadium played host to the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The men's tournament was won by Fiji, who defeated New Zealand in the Final. The women's competition was won by Australia over their cross-Tasmine rivals New Zealand.

Tennis

edit
Main article: Match for Africa

The Cape Town Stadium hosted the sixth edition of Roger Federer's Matches for Africa, a series of charity tennis matches. It took place on 7 February 2020 and featured Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Federer confirmed the date, location, and opponent during the 2019 edition of Wimbledon. Federer said he had pursued Nadal's participation for two years before a date as agreed upon.

South Africa is the birth country of Federer's mother and the focus of his charitable foundation. The doubles match consisted Roger Federer and American tycoon Bill Gates versus Rafael Nadal and South African entertainer Trevor Noah. Federer and Gates won the match 6–4. In singles, Federer beat Nadal with the score 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. The event was attended by 51,954 people (the highest attendance ever recorded at a tennis match) and more than $3.5 million was raised in aid of children's education in Africa.[24]

Match in Africa 6 Doubles
1   Roger Federer
  Bill Gates 		6
2   Rafael Nadal
  Trevor Noah 		3
Match in Africa 6 Singles
1   Rafael Nadal 4 6 3
2   Roger Federer 6 3 6

Concerts

edit
Year Date Artist Tour Name Attendance
2011 18 February U2 U2 360° Tour 72,532[25]
11 April Neil Diamond -
5 October Coldplay Mylo Xyloto Tour 46,670[26][27][28]
26 October Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown World Tour 40,000+[29]
2012 7 November Linkin Park Living Things World Tour 55,000[30]
3 December Lady Gaga The Born This Way Ball Tour 39,527
2013 5 February Red Hot Chili Peppers I'm With You World Tour -
7 May Bon Jovi Because We Can - The Tour 35,407[31]
8 May Justin Bieber Believe Tour 65,000[32]
16 October Rihanna Diamonds World Tour 39,616
2014 26 February Eminem Rapture Tour 37,825[33][34]
10 December Foo Fighters Sonic Highways World Tour
2015 15 March Michael Bublé To Be Loved Tour 22,060
1 April One Direction On the Road Again Tour 51,060
2016 18 February Lionel Richie 'All the Hits all Night Long’ Global Tour [35]
2016 26 April Mariah Carey The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour 35,000
2017 24 February Dash Berlin, David Guetta, KSHMR, Martin Garrix, DJ Snake, etc. Ultra South Africa
2017 17 May Justin Bieber Purpose World Tour 39,706
2017 25 November The Bellamy Brothers
2018 9 February Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, Axwell /\ Ingrosso, Hardwell, etc. Ultra South Africa
2018 11 April Santana
2019 27–28 March Ed Sheeran ÷ Tour 96,915 (both nights)
2022 October Justin Bieber Cancelled
2023 1 February Imagine Dragons Mercury World Tour 55,000
2024 31 January
Calabash South Africa
edit

Cape Town Stadium was featured in the film Safe House (2012). The stadium also features in many local advertising and print media campaigns.[36] It was also featured as a motorsport venue in the video game Dirt 5.[37]

Incidents

edit

On 7 November 2012, shortly before the U.S. rock band Linkin Park was set to perform at the sold-out stadium, gusts of wind caused advertising scaffolding outside the stadium to collapse onto a crowd of people injuring 19 and killing 1; of the 19 injured, 12 were taken to hospital for further treatment.[38]

Calls for demolition

edit

Prior to 2021, several individuals and groups called for the stadium to be demolished due to its under-utilization after the World Cup. Effective utilization and use of the stadium was a political issue in the city.[39][40][41] However, beginning in 2021, use of Cape Town Stadium increased significantly when it became the home ground of Western Province Rugby and the DHL Stormers. This move resulted in DHL sponsoring the naming rights to the stadium and significant renovations.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Stadium map". Archived from the original on 22 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Pollack, Martin (30 October 2009). "The city's 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium has a new name: Cape Town Stadium". City of Cape Town. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Stadium Complete". Shine 2010. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  4. ^ "Cape Town Stadium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  5. ^ "worldstadiums.com – Stadiums in South Africa". Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Cape Town Stadium (CTS) (Municipal Entity) Business Plan 2023/24 to 2027/28 page 26". City of Cape Town. May 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Cape Town Stadium welcomes name change to become DHL Stadium, following multi-year naming rights partnership with DHL". DHL. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Cape Town Stadium (RFf) Soc Limited integrated annual report 2021–2022" (PDF). City of Cape Town. January 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  9. ^ "The 46664 campaign". South African Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  10. ^ Anel Lewis (19 February 2015). "Green Point Athletics Stadium opens". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  11. ^ "CT Stadium Construction Information". Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  12. ^ "Cape Town Stadium Opening". City of Cape Town. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  13. ^ "Four. Monument, Ruin, and Redress in South African Heritage". Heritage, Culture, and Politics in the Postcolony. New York; Chichester; West Sussex: Columbia University Press. 2012. pp. 80–134. doi:10.7312/herw16018-005.
  14. ^ "Cape Town Stadium is Hosting a Soccer Event on Friday 27 August". Western Cape Government. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  15. ^ Warby, Vivian (1 December 2008). "Greenpoint stadium operator chosen". Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  16. ^ Johnson, Thomas (7 July 2016). "A World Cup White Elephant". Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Green Point Stadium by GMP Architekten". 8 June 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Greenpoint stadium operator chosen". SouthAfrica.info. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Chiefs to use Rand Stadium this season". KickOff Magazine. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  20. ^ Lewis, Anel (19 December 2014). "WP says no to Cape Town Stadium". IOL Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  21. ^ "Green Point becomes new Sevens heaven". SuperSport. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  22. ^ Said, Nick (29 June 2016). "PSL newcomers Cape Town City FC finally launched in the Mother City". Times Live. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  23. ^ "2010 Fifa World Cup: success stories". SouthAfrica.info. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  24. ^ "Match in Africa a great success, breaks tennis attendance records". SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  25. ^ "Boxscore Concert Grosses". Billboard. Lynne Segall. 12 March 2011. p. 11. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  26. ^ "Coldplay rocks Cape Town". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  27. ^ "Coldplay fans enjoy a sold-out concert at Cape Town Stadium". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  28. ^ "Coldplay: News - The Parlotones interview". 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  29. ^ "Kings of Leon play to forty thousand fans – Cape Town". Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  30. ^ "Linkin Park: Living Things Tour – Cape Town Concert". Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  31. ^ "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  32. ^ "Justin Bieber sends Cape Town into hysteria". Channel24. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  33. ^ "Eminem's advice to SA men: 'You have to be f******g romantic, man!'". Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  34. ^ "[Descriptive title reflecting the content of the source]". City of Cape Town. 21 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
  35. ^ "Lionel Richie seals SA tour with a promise". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  36. ^ "Safe House: How one film put Cape Town's movie industry on the map". The Independent. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  37. ^ "Cape Town stadium to feature in latest Dirt racing game". News24. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  38. ^ "One Dead And Several Injured at Linkin Park Show in Cape Town - Music News @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com". Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  39. ^ "'Tear down Cape Town Stadium' | IOL". IOL. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  40. ^ "Cape Town Stadium: icon or albatross | IOL". IOL. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  41. ^ "Why Cape Town stadium should be demolished - OPINION | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cape Town Stadium.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_Town_Stadium&oldid=1263655166"