Kings Park Stadium
| Kings Park | |
|---|---|
| The Shark Tank | |
 |
|
| 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 |
| Broke ground | 1880s |
| Opened | 1891 |
| Renovated | 1990s |
| Owner | Durban City Council |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 55,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Sharks, Natal Sharks | |
The Kings Park Stadium (also known as Growthpoint Kings Park[1] for sponsorship reasons 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.
It was previously also known as the ABSA Stadium[2] and Mr Price Kings Park Stadium[3] due to sponsorship deals.
Contents |
1995 Rugby World Cup [edit]
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 [edit]
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 [edit]
- On 8 November 1995 Whitney Houston performed here as part of her The Bodyguard World Tour.
- On 3 December ,1995 Bon Jovi played a concert at the stadium during These Days Tour.
- On 18 April , 1996 Tina Turner played a concert at the stadium during Wildest Dreams Tour.
- On 15 October 1997, Michael Jackson performed his final full concert here, concluding HIStory World Tour.
- On 19 November 1998, Janet Jackson performed here as part of The Velvet Rope Tour to a sold out concert.
- On 21 March 2006, Metallica performed in Durban during Escape from the Studio '06.
Future [edit]
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.[4] However, this is unlikely as they have a 50-year lease on Kings Park which runs through 2056.[5]
References [edit]
- ^ "New stadium naming rights sponsor" (Press release). The Sharks & Growthpoint Properties. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "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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