Nelspruit Worries About Future of its World Cup Stadium

Concerns are growing in Nelspruit that the $183 million stadium the province built for the 2010 World Cup (of which it hosted 4 matches) will be able to find a permanent user or sustainable business model.

“No team has yet been approached to make the stadium its home base, and this matter will be dealt with when the business model is finalised,” said interim manager for the stadium, Roelf Kotze, on Monday.

...Kotze said the pitch is suitable for soccer and rugby matches and has the same dimensions as the pitch at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, where the Super 14 Final Rugby Match was played recently. Kotze said organisers of other events had, however, shown interest in using the stadium.

Mbombela white elephant?
Sport 24
July 12, 2010

Host City Nelspruit Focuses on Shuttles and Park-and-Ride During Cup

World Cup host city Nelspruit has revealed its public transport plans for the tournament. The plans focus on providing public shuttles and access to fan parks and the city's stadium. The plans also emphasize parking cars away from the venues and taking transit options the rest of the way.

"The transport system is an additional service to the regular day-to-day public transport system already in place. It comprises a public transport hub, six park-and-ride points and one park-and-walk point, all with free and secure parking, as well as an airport pickup point.

"Shuttle services to the stadium, Fan Fest and public transport hub will be operational from the park-and-ride and airport pickup points," he said.

Mogale said 600 branded buses and minibus taxis would provide the shuttle services, with a number of primary and alternative routes that had been developed to ensure the system runs smoothly and traffic congestion is kept to a minimum.

Nelspruit's 2010 transport plans in place
Bua News
May 13, 2010

Nelspruit's Stadium A Sore Spot for Impoverished Locals

Nelspruit's $137 million World Cup stadium has locals angry about the lack of attention officials are paying to the city's thousands of impoverished people. This piece examines the controversy surrounding the stadium, corrupt local officials and the ignored needs of locals.

Such boasts may well turn out to be true, for South Africa has spent more than $6 billion on stadiums, roads, airports and other projects. But Nelspruit, in preparing for its own six hours of championship soccer, is instead an example of the nation at its worst, with distressing inequality — measured by some economists as the worst in the world — and an epidemic of local corruption that often leads the downtrodden to rise up in anger.

Simon Magagula lives in a mud house accessible by a dirt road whose cavities deepen with each rainfall. His doorway is a short jaunt to the new stadium. “Those who’ll benefit from this are the wealthy that already have plenty in their hand,” he said, not in resentment so much as weariness.

And indeed, with the stadium project came an infusion of money, catnip to the corrupt who congregate at the junction of money and power.

Cost of Stadium Reveals Tensions in South Africa
The New York Times
March 12, 2010

Grass Troubles Plague Nelspruit Stadium

Two failed attempts to grow the field grass at Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium have organizers and locals worried that the stadium won't be ready to host its World Cup matches.

They now face a race against time to get the stadium ready for the first game between Honduras and Chile on June 16, followed by Italy against New Zealand on June 20. There is local speculation that another pitch failure could force Fifa to switch the fixtures to a different venue.

Conflicting official explanations of what has gone wrong served only to sow confusion on a tour of nine cities. Ronnie Moyo, a 2010 marketing and events manager who gave a guided tour of the Mbombela Stadium, said the original pitch was removed in December after failing a Fifa inspection because "25% of the pitch had clay soil".

Will the pitch Mbomb?
Mail and Guardian
March 5, 2010

Concerns Surround Nelspruit Stadium's Readiness

Grass has not yet been laid on the new Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, a revelation that has stunned many and prompted concerns that the stadium won't be ready in time for the World Cup.

Local and international media were shocked when they discovered that the pitch is yet to be laid at the R1,2bn Nelspruit stadium after England experts recommended that the grass be completely stripped as it was not growing according to plan.

Secretary-general Jerome Valcke said Fifa was confident there was still enough time to complete the stadium before the start of the June 11-July 11 global showpiece.

South Africa: Fifa Insists Mbombela Will Be Ready
Business Day
March 1, 2010

The Five First-Round Cities

This post takes a look at the five hot cities hosting only first-round matches during the World Cup.

Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Polokwane and Rustenburg are all at high altitude. The first three could be bitterly cold at night during the tournament although Rustenburg has mild, sunny, southern hemisphere winters. Nelspruit is in the hot, dry lowveldt and should be comfortable.

Most of the World Cup managers are thought to be planning training camps around Pretoria, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg to prepare their players for the thinner air.

First round venues for 2010 World Cup
Independent Online
November 30, 2009

Nelspruit Stadium on Track

The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit is set to complete construction on time, according to local World Cup officials.

Mbombela's world cup stadium and future sports and entertainment venue will be complete on August 31. This was the categorical assurance given by Mr Desmond Golding, deputy director general for the 2010 integrated office.

He stated that the township development plan was progressing, the surrounding roads system was on schedule and a disaster management centre would be ready by December.

...He pointed out the long-term benefits of hosting the tournament to the country as a whole, explaining that visitors would boost domestic spending. In Germany in 2006, this was equivalent to one per cent contribution to its economy. In South Korea after the 2002 event, the growth rate more than doubled from four per cent to 8,8 per cent and it is still recognised as one of the best global economies.

Source:
The local stadium is still on track
The Lowvelder
April 16, 2009