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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)

The Cape Town Stadium (Afrikaans: Kaapstad-stadion; Template:Lang-xh;[2] known as the DHL Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is an association football (soccer) and rugby union stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, that was built 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 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.

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. 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. Cape Town Stadium is the 5th biggest stadium in South Africa; the biggest in Cape Town.

Etymology

The stadium is in Green Point, on the Atlantic coast just west of the Cape Town city centre.
The stadium is in Green Point, on the Atlantic coast just west of the Cape Town city centre.
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 adjacent to it that was partially demolished and rebuilt into the Green Point Athletics 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]

In December 2017, plans for a new name were underway.

Previous stadium

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.[6] 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.[7]

Design

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 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

Ajax Cape Town have used the stadium as their home ground from the 2010-11 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season onwards.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15]

In June 2016, it was announced that new PSL club Cape Town City would also play at Cape Town Stadium.[16]

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.

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 (SAST) Team 1 Res. Team 2 Attendance
23 January 2010 16:00 South Africa Ajax Cape Town 0–0
(5–6 pen.)		 South Africa 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 South Africa Vodacom Stormers 47–13 South Africa 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 Ghana U-20 0–1 Brazil Brazil U-20 40,000
20:30 South Africa South Africa U-20 1–3 Nigeria Nigeria U-20

Sporting and events

2010 FIFA World Cup

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cape Town Stadium hosted five first round matches, one second round, one quarter-final, and one semi-final.[17] During the World Cup, all FIFA media referred to the stadium as 'Green Point Stadium'.

Matches

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

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 South Africa Ajax Cape Town 1–1 England Manchester United 53,000
8 January 2012 20.15  South Africa 0–1  Norway
21 January 2013 16:00 South Africa Jomo Cosmos 0–4 Switzerland Grasshopper Club Zürich 100
26 January 2013 16:00 South Africa Ajax Cape Town 2–1 200
23 March 2013 20:15  South Africa 2–0  Central African Republic 36,740

Rugby Union

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 2022, the Springboks defeated Wales at DHL Stadium in what was South African Prop Etzebeth's 100th test for the famed rugby side.

Date Time (SAST) Team 1 Score Team 2 Attendance
9 February 2013 14.45 South Africa Vodacom Stormers – South Africa Boland Inv. XV
3 February 2019 17.00 South Africa DHL Stormers 33–28 South Africa Vodacom Bulls 50,000

World Rugby Sevens Series

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

2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens

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

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.[18]

Match in Africa 6 Doubles
1 Switzerland Roger Federer
United States Bill Gates 		6
2 Spain Rafael Nadal
South Africa Trevor Noah 		3
Match in Africa 6 Singles
1 Spain Rafael Nadal 4 6 3
2 Switzerland Roger Federer 6 3 6

Concerts

Year Date Artist Tour Name Attendance
2011 18 February U2 U2 360° Tour 72,532[19]
11 April Neil Diamond -
5 October Coldplay Mylo Xyloto Tour 46,670[20][21][22]
26 October Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown World Tour 40,000+[23]
2012 7 November Linkin Park Living Things World Tour 55,000[24]
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[25]
8 May Justin Bieber Believe Tour 65,000[26]
16 October Rihanna Diamonds World Tour 39,616
2014 26 February Eminem Rapture Tour 37,825[27][28]
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 [29]
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
2024 31 January
Calabash South Africa

Movies

Cape Town Stadium was featured in the film Safe House (2012). The stadium also features in many local advertising and print media campaigns.[30]

Incidents

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.[31]

Calls for demolition

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.[32][33][34] 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.

References

  1. ^ https://dhlstadium.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Level-00-Hardened-Surface-Area-pdf.jpg [bare URL image file]
  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. ^ "The 46664 campaign". South African Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  7. ^ Anel Lewis (19 February 2015). "Green Point Athletics Stadium opens". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  8. ^ "CT Stadium Construction Information". Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  9. ^ "Cape Town Stadium Opening". City of Cape Town. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  10. ^ Warby, Vivian (1 December 2008). "Greenpoint stadium operator chosen". Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Green Point Stadium by GMP Architekten". 8 June 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Greenpoint stadium operator chosen". SouthAfrica.info. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  13. ^ "Chiefs to use Rand Stadium this season". KickOff Magazine. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  14. ^ Lewis, Anel (19 December 2014). "WP says no to Cape Town Stadium". IOL Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Green Point becomes new Sevens heaven". SuperSport. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  16. ^ Said, Nick (29 June 2016). "PSL newcomers Cape Town City FC finally launched in the Mother City". Times Live. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  17. ^ "2010 Fifa World Cup: success stories". SouthAfrica.info. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "Boxscore Concert Grosses". Billboard. Lynne Segall. 12 March 2011. p. 11. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  20. ^ "Coldplay rocks Cape Town". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  21. ^ "Coldplay fans enjoy a sold-out concert at Cape Town Stadium". Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  22. ^ "Coldplay: News - The Parlotones interview". 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  23. ^ "Kings of Leon play to forty thousand fans – Cape Town". Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  24. ^ "Linkin Park: Living Things Tour – Cape Town Concert". Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  25. ^ "Current Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  26. ^ "Justin Bieber sends Cape Town into hysteria". Channel24. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "WebCite query result". www.webcitation.org. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-21. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  29. ^ "Lionel Richie seals SA tour with a promise". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  30. ^ "Safe House: How one film put Cape Town's movie industry on the map". The Independent. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  31. ^ "One Dead And Several Injured at Linkin Park Show in Cape Town - Music News @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com". Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  32. ^ "'Tear down Cape Town Stadium' | IOL". IOL. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  33. ^ "Cape Town Stadium: icon or albatross | IOL". IOL. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  34. ^ "Why Cape Town stadium should be demolished - OPINION | Politicsweb". www.politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
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