Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Encyclopedia
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a 48,000-seater stadium in Port Elizabeth.
The five-tier, R
2 billion (approximately $159 million) Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. It regularly hosts large scale football (soccer) and rugby union
matches. The stadium has also been used as a concert venue.
province. The city of Port Elizabeth did not have a large scale football facility, as under the apartheid government, football was not given much funding. Football clubs in the city had to make use of smaller scale venues throughout the city. Before this stadium was built, most large football matches were played at the EPRU Stadium, the city's rugby ground. The EPRU Stadium was often problematic for football, as it normally hosts rugby matches, thus the playing surface was not of a great standard. When Port Elizabeth was chosen as a host city for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, the city decided against upgrading the EPRU Stadium. This was because it would have needed to be almost completely rebuilt, in order to be upgraded to FIFA
requirements. The city then decided on building a brand new, multipurpose stadium, in the heart of the city.
Inevitably, there was a great deal of speculation about the status of stadium construction in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, with the requirement that all the FIFA World Cup
host stadiums must be completed by January 2010. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was the first of five new stadiums to start construction. The other new stadiums are in Cape Town, Durban, Polokwane
and Nelspruit
.
The stadium is named after the administrative district which the stadium is within, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, itself named after Nelson Mandela
, the former President of South Africa
. The Nelson Mandela Bay area is made up of the city of Port Elizabeth, the towns of Uitenhage
and Despatch, as well as smaller settlements.
The stadium is sometimes incorrectly called the 'Nelson Mandela Stadium' in the media. This may lead to confusion, as there is a Nelson Mandela Stadium
in Kampala
, Uganda
. It is also sometimes mistakenly claimed that the stadium is named after Mandela, rather than the metropolitan area named in his honour.
. The seats are of different shades, from light orange to dark red. They are arranged seemingly at random, but this was done to help the stadium appear full at all times. It also means that sun damage is less of a problem and replaced seats are less noticeable. There are 23 private boxes with a planned additional 22 private boxes, including two bars, as part of the post World Cup building. The stadium also boasts 150 VIP suites, 60 business suites, a sports clothing shop, gymnasium, plus lecture and function rooms. There are also two conference rooms, which are able to accommodate 200 people, which are situated on the 5th level.
There are four ramps for easy wheelchair access, three VIP/VVIP lifts, two in the West Stand and one in the East Stand, as well as six passengers' lifts all around the stadium. Two additional lifts will be installed for the legacy phase. The stadium will have a total of 11 lifts. There are 32 turnstiles and colour coded gates on level 2 for spectators to access their seats and four ramps leading up from level 2 to level 5.
Two big viewing screens (12.7m x 7.2m) were installed for live coverage of the activities on the field. There are a total of 74 toilet blocks (male and female) – 36 blocks on level 2 – 4 blocks on level 3 – 14 blocks on level 4 and 20 blocks on level 5.
Parking inside the stadium is provided only on level 1 and consists of media parking – 160 bays, broadcast – 80 bays, VVIP parking – 70 bays, special VVIP parking – 12 bays, VIP parking – 32 Bays, disabled parking – 4 bays and general parking on site – 1,280 bays.
though, the field will be made up completely of rye grass.
The field was designed to be able to accommodate both football and rugby. The pitch is maintained by a group of 5 people, who work day and night to ensure the quality of the playing surface. The field is currently watered at 2 am due to a severe drought and heatwave in the area. A 'pitch grow' lighting system is used to ensure that all grass on the pitch grows properly. A unit with 6 1,000 watt bulbs is used to help certain parts of the pitch covered by shadow due to the stadium roof.
For football the field is marked at the FIFA
approved dimensions of 105m by 68m. For rugby the field is marked at 100 m long by 70 m wide, it also has two 10 m by 70 m 'in-goal areas' behind each set of goal posts.
and Ibhayi JV. It was built on the site of the old Parks Rugby Club, and the Prince Alfred Park.
The roof material of the stadium consists of a combination of aluminium cladding, combined with a membrane material called polytetraflurethylene(PTFE), which is a coated glass-fibre fabric and steel super structure. This tensile structure
was supplied and installed by Australian company, Taiyo Membrane Corporation. The total length of piles installed is 21,000 m and the material excavated is 138,000 m3.
The local building industry has benefited a great deal due to the construction of the stadium. The implementation of this huge, fast track project has introduced several local role players to a new scale of development which will be beneficial to the local construction industry now and the future. The construction process has also included extensive use of local suppliers and experts in conjunction with international specialists, ensuring that adequate skills transfers take place.
An estimated total of 6,800 jobs were created throughout the process and the development of the stadium will result in the upliftment and urban renewal of the surrounding residential and commercial area of North End and the major routes leading to the stadium. The stadium will bring vast social and economic opportunities, during and after the World Cup.
As with other World Cup stadium in South Africa, construction costs for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium spiralled substantially. It increased from the June 2006 estimated cost of R 711 million, to R 1.5 billion in May 2008, and finally the completed cost of R 2.065 billion. The stadium eventually cost R 2.1 billion to build, of which the city has already paid R 336 million, and may still be laible to pay a shortfall of R 261 million. However, if the shortfalls are calculated based on the 10-20-70 split, then the national government may still owes the city R 70.5 million and provincial government R 191 million. National treasury has so far contributed R 1.375 billion, or 66.5% of the stadium’s cost. Despite this,national treasury has stated that they will not issue more funds to World Cup stadiums.
It appears as though Port Elizabeth residents may make up the short fall through larger rates increases. There will be an extra 2% increase in property rates, an extra 1% increase in water tariffs and sanitation and refuse rates, as well as an extra 4% increase in electricity tariffs.
The stadium's running costs are estimated to be R18 million per year. The stadiums operating company, Access Facilities and Leisure Management, expect to break even by 2012.
network. Currently, the dedicated lanes for the buses have been built. Once completed, the BRT buses will ferry people to and from the stadium during game days. The main bus station servicing the stadium will be located in Harrower Road. There will be routes to the stadium from the airport, fan park and the beach front. In addition to the BRT network, there will be a number of 'park and ride' areas. These will be located at King's Beach, St George's Park and Andrew Rabie High School. There will also be a 'park and walks' from Cilliè High School and Dr Viljoen Primary School. There will also be match day train services to the North End train station, which is located about 1.3 km from the stadium.
While the network is still being built, the Algoa Bus Company has set up temporary bus stops in the surrounding streets. These are used on game days, to provide public transport until the completion of the BRT network.
. The other four stadiums to be used were Ellis Park Stadium
, Loftus Versfeld Stadium
, Royal Bafokeng Stadium
and Free State Stadium
. The four stadiums were already built and merely received upgrades for the Confederations Cup.
On July 8, 2008 it was announced that the stadium had been removed from the list of stadiums for the 2009 Confederations Cup as it was believed it would not be ready on time. Surprisingly, however, it became the first newly built 2010 stadium to be completed.
tournament. It hosted 5 group games, as well as a round of 16 game, a quarterfinal and the 3rd/4th playoff was played at the stadium.
The stadium's games were:
On 23 July 2009, the stadium hosted a leg of the 2009 Vodacom Challenge
. The match involved the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs. The 30,000 strong crowd watched the Kaizer Chiefs win 4–3 on penalties, after the game ended 1–1. Kaizer Chiefs went on to face Manchester City
in the final of the challenge.
On 9 August 2009, (Women's Day in South Africa) a special double-header of games was played. This, along with female musical acts were performed to celebrate Women's Day. The first match involved two women's teams, Nelson Mandela Bay XI and Amatole Invitational XI, the second was between a Brazilian legends team and a South African legends team. The Brazilian legends were drawn from their 1994 FIFA World Cup
winning squad. The South African team was drawn from the 1996 African Cup of Nations
winners.
On 14 November 2009, the stadium hosted its first international football match. A friendly between Bafana Bafana
and Japan
was played at the stadium. A crowd of 44,000 watched as the game ended in a 0–0 draw.
On 20 November 2009, the stadium hosted its first Premier Soccer League
game. Santos
'hosted' Kaizer Chiefs at the stadium, as no venue was available in the Western Cape
due to World Cup renovations. A crowd of 20,000 was in attendance as Kaizer Chiefs won 1–0 in controversial fashion.
On 14 January 2010, the stadium hosted a friendly match. The match was between local National First Division
club, Bay United and the South Korea
. Korea won 3–1.
On 28 February 2010, Orlando Pirates 'hosted' Gaborone United
in the second leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League
. The game ended 2 all, with Gaborone United advancing on the away goals rule
. The match also served as part of the stadiums official opening ceremony. This included local music acts, a junior football match, and the unveiling of the stadiums official plaque.
The stadium will host the 2011 edition of the Nelson Mandela Challenge. The international friendly between Bafana Bafana
and the Ivory Cooast will be played on 12 November.
Currie Cup
and Vodacom Cup
matches will be played at the stadium. Their first match since officially moving to the stadium was their 26–25 victory over the Griffons
.
On 16 June 2009 (Youth Day in South Africa), the stadium played host to a British and Irish Lions
tour match
. The game was between the Lions and the newly launched Southern Kings
. The game was attended by over 35,000 fans, and the Lions won 20–8.
On 19 September 2009, the Eastern Province Mighty Elephants
played their first Currie Cup
First Division game at the stadium. They beat the Falcons
44–8. In addition, the province's U19 and U21 teams played each other in curtain raisers to the main match.
On 23 January 2010, the stadium hosted a Super 14 warm-up match. The Cheetahs
played an Eastern Province invitational team
. In front of a crowd of 15,000, EP lost 13–9 to the Cheetahs. A curtain raiser was played between 2 Port Elizabeth rugby clubs, Police and Progress.
On 26 February 2010, Eastern Province
played the Pampas XV
(an Argentine team), in the first round of the 2010 Vodacom Cup
. The game ended in a 27-all draw, in front of a crowd of approximately 8,700.
On 10 September 2010, the stadium hosted the final of the EP Grand Challenge, the top league for rugby clubs in the province. The match was between Uithenhage's Progress rugby club and defending champions, Port Elizabeth's Park rugby club. Park rugby club won 28-25, and they went on to represent Eastern Province at the 2010 National Club Championships.
On 29 October, the Eastern Province Kings
played the Pumas
in the 2nd leg of their Currie Cup promotion/relegation match. The Pumas won the match 46-28, to retain their Premier Division status. The match set a new stadium attendance record of 45 000.
The stadium is set to host a series of Super Rugby warm up matches in 2011. These matches will involve the Southern Kings
playing against South Africa's 5 other Super Rugby franchises.
In April 2011, the South African Rugby Union
(SARU) announced that the stadium would become the new home of the country's leg
of the annual IRB Sevens World Series
starting with the 2011–12 season. The tournament had previously been held at George
in the Western Cape
.
On 20 August 2011, the stadium hosted its first rugby test, which was played between South Africa and New Zealand during the fifth game of the 2011 Tri Nations Series.
, as well as other top acts. Despite all the needed arrangements being made, Busta Rhymes decided not to honour the event. Instead, he chose to do a concert at a local club. He arrived at the stadium hours late, and told those who had stayed, to go to the club that he would be performing at.
A second concert was planned for the stadium from 18 to 20 December 2009. It was billed as the 'Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival', and was to have such artists as Keri Hilson
but was cancelled due to lack of funds.
It appears as though the failed 'Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival', will now take place from 16 to 19 December at the stadium. Dompas Media, the event organisers, have said that the same artists who were billed for the 2009 edition, will now perform at the 2010 concert.
Jonathan Butler
performed at the stadium on 26 February 2011.
Neil Diamond
performed at the stadium on April 8, 2011. The concert was part of his four date, first time to South Africa tour.
On 18 November 2009, the stadium hosted the Miss World Sports
event of the Miss World 2009
pageant.
A group of South African churches held a mass prayer around the stadium on 22 March 2010 (a public holiday due to Human Rights Day falling on a Sunday in 2010). They intended to create a chain of people, 1,000m long, around the stadium and hold a 15 minute prayer at 16:00. They prayed for a blessing on both the stadium and World Cup
.
The stadium was used to attempt to set a new world record for the most women in bikinis in one place. The attempt was in aid of the Cancer Association of South, and took place on 23 October 2010. With only 905 participants, the record attempt failed, however two other records were set. These were for the largest bikini and swimwear parades.
. From 2010 onwards the Eastern Province Kings
will play their Currie Cup
games at the stadium. They have also moved their administrative head quarters to the stadium. The Nelson Mandela Bay regional branch of SAFA
will also move its headquarters to the stadium.
After the World Cup the stadium may be used as the home ground for the Southern Kings
if they are admitted to Super Rugby. While Melbourne
has been announced as the winner of the 15th franchise, the Southern Kings are now hoping to be included in the South African Conference.
Bay United may use the stadium if they return to the Premier Soccer League
, however the club's chairman, Sipho Pityana has raised the concern of stadium rental being too high for the club to afford. In contrast, Nelson Mandela Bay SAFA
regional president, Johnson Kula, has said that Bay United play a key role in the viability of the stadium.
The stadium will also likely be used to host Springbok
test matches and Bafana Bafana
matches. It has now been confirmed that the stadium will host the 2011 Tri Nations match between the Springboks and New Zealand.
The stadium is likely to host a leg of the 2011 Vodacom Challenge
, as it did in 2009. The stadium management are also in talks with PSL
clubs, in an attempt to have one of them move to the stadium.
The South African leg
of the IRB Sevens World Series
was up for tender in late 2010, and the Eastern Province Rugby Union announced an intention to host the event. The South African government also gave its backing to Port Elizabeth hosting the event. Ultimately, the SARU announced that Port Elizabeth had won the bidding for hosting rights, and would hold the event at the stadium from 2011 forward.
The stadium is also in line to be a host venue for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
, which South Africa
is bidding to host. The stadium would also be used in future bids for South Africa to host the Rugby World Cup
.
The five-tier, R
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
2 billion (approximately $159 million) Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was built overlooking the North End Lake, at the heart of the city. It is one of three coastal stadiums built in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. It regularly hosts large scale football (soccer) and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
matches. The stadium has also been used as a concert venue.
Background
This is the first time a world-class football stadium has been built in the Eastern CapeEastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
province. The city of Port Elizabeth did not have a large scale football facility, as under the apartheid government, football was not given much funding. Football clubs in the city had to make use of smaller scale venues throughout the city. Before this stadium was built, most large football matches were played at the EPRU Stadium, the city's rugby ground. The EPRU Stadium was often problematic for football, as it normally hosts rugby matches, thus the playing surface was not of a great standard. When Port Elizabeth was chosen as a host city for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, the city decided against upgrading the EPRU Stadium. This was because it would have needed to be almost completely rebuilt, in order to be upgraded to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
requirements. The city then decided on building a brand new, multipurpose stadium, in the heart of the city.
Inevitably, there was a great deal of speculation about the status of stadium construction in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, with the requirement that all the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
host stadiums must be completed by January 2010. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was the first of five new stadiums to start construction. The other new stadiums are in Cape Town, Durban, Polokwane
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The Peter Mokaba Stadium is a football stadium in Polokwane , South Africa, that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 41,733. and was named after Peter Mokaba, a former leader of the ANC Youth League...
and Nelspruit
Mbombela Stadium
Mbombela Stadium is a newly built, all-seater, 40,929-seat stadium and was one of the ten venues for the FIFA World Cup 2010. It is located on open land six kilometres west of Nelspruit, South Africa, the capital of the Mpumalanga province....
.
The stadium is named after the administrative district which the stadium is within, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, itself named after Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, the former President of South Africa
President of South Africa
The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under South Africa's Constitution. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President....
. The Nelson Mandela Bay area is made up of the city of Port Elizabeth, the towns of Uitenhage
Uitenhage
Uitenhage is a South African town with 275,185 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape Province. It is well known for the Volkswagen factory located there, which is the biggest car factory on the African continent. The town's name is pronounced by English speakers and in Afrikaans...
and Despatch, as well as smaller settlements.
The stadium is sometimes incorrectly called the 'Nelson Mandela Stadium' in the media. This may lead to confusion, as there is a Nelson Mandela Stadium
National Stadium (Uganda)
Mandela National Stadium often referred to as Namboole Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kampala, Uganda. It is currently used mostly for football matches, although other sports are also practiced. The stadium has a capacity of 45,202 people...
in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. It is also sometimes mistakenly claimed that the stadium is named after Mandela, rather than the metropolitan area named in his honour.
Design
The stadium has an eye-catching, unique roof-structure and a spectacular view, overlooking the North End Lake. The roof is made up of a series of white 'petals' making it look like a flower. This is the reason for the stadium's nickname, The Sunflower. There are not many stadiums in the world that are designed and constructed overlooking a lake; this in itself is a very distinctive feature of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The stadium building is approximately 40m high and consists of six levels on the western side in addition to five on each of the north, south and east stands. The main architecture was handled by Architectural Design Associates(Pty)Ltd and Dominic Bonnesse Architects cc. The stadium has three gates for entry, located on the northern, southern and eastern sides of the stadium, the western side of the stadium leads to the North End Lake. The 3 gates are: gate A-B, in Milner Avenue, gate B-C, in Prince Alfred Road, and gate C-D, in Fettes Road.Facilities
The stadium seats 45 000 in addition to 4,000 extra seats, temporarily installed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. The seats are of different shades, from light orange to dark red. They are arranged seemingly at random, but this was done to help the stadium appear full at all times. It also means that sun damage is less of a problem and replaced seats are less noticeable. There are 23 private boxes with a planned additional 22 private boxes, including two bars, as part of the post World Cup building. The stadium also boasts 150 VIP suites, 60 business suites, a sports clothing shop, gymnasium, plus lecture and function rooms. There are also two conference rooms, which are able to accommodate 200 people, which are situated on the 5th level.
There are four ramps for easy wheelchair access, three VIP/VVIP lifts, two in the West Stand and one in the East Stand, as well as six passengers' lifts all around the stadium. Two additional lifts will be installed for the legacy phase. The stadium will have a total of 11 lifts. There are 32 turnstiles and colour coded gates on level 2 for spectators to access their seats and four ramps leading up from level 2 to level 5.
Two big viewing screens (12.7m x 7.2m) were installed for live coverage of the activities on the field. There are a total of 74 toilet blocks (male and female) – 36 blocks on level 2 – 4 blocks on level 3 – 14 blocks on level 4 and 20 blocks on level 5.
Parking inside the stadium is provided only on level 1 and consists of media parking – 160 bays, broadcast – 80 bays, VVIP parking – 70 bays, special VVIP parking – 12 bays, VIP parking – 32 Bays, disabled parking – 4 bays and general parking on site – 1,280 bays.
Pitch
The playing surface is made of natural grass that was grown off site, in the St Albans area. The areas surrounding the pitch are made of artificial turf. The field that was originally laid was a mixture of kikuyu grass and rye grass. For the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
though, the field will be made up completely of rye grass.
The field was designed to be able to accommodate both football and rugby. The pitch is maintained by a group of 5 people, who work day and night to ensure the quality of the playing surface. The field is currently watered at 2 am due to a severe drought and heatwave in the area. A 'pitch grow' lighting system is used to ensure that all grass on the pitch grows properly. A unit with 6 1,000 watt bulbs is used to help certain parts of the pitch covered by shadow due to the stadium roof.
For football the field is marked at the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
approved dimensions of 105m by 68m. For rugby the field is marked at 100 m long by 70 m wide, it also has two 10 m by 70 m 'in-goal areas' behind each set of goal posts.
Construction
The stadium's construction was handled by a consortium made up of Grinaker-LTA, InterbetonInterbeton
Interbeton bv was an operating company of the construction firm Royal BAM Group of the Netherlands. As of 1 January 2009 the company is rebranded as BAM International. Interbeton is also the name of a cement producer in Greece, a unit of Titan Cement....
and Ibhayi JV. It was built on the site of the old Parks Rugby Club, and the Prince Alfred Park.
The roof material of the stadium consists of a combination of aluminium cladding, combined with a membrane material called polytetraflurethylene(PTFE), which is a coated glass-fibre fabric and steel super structure. This tensile structure
Tensile structure
A tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending. The term tensile should not be confused with tensegrity, which is a structural form with both tension and compression elements....
was supplied and installed by Australian company, Taiyo Membrane Corporation. The total length of piles installed is 21,000 m and the material excavated is 138,000 m3.
The local building industry has benefited a great deal due to the construction of the stadium. The implementation of this huge, fast track project has introduced several local role players to a new scale of development which will be beneficial to the local construction industry now and the future. The construction process has also included extensive use of local suppliers and experts in conjunction with international specialists, ensuring that adequate skills transfers take place.
An estimated total of 6,800 jobs were created throughout the process and the development of the stadium will result in the upliftment and urban renewal of the surrounding residential and commercial area of North End and the major routes leading to the stadium. The stadium will bring vast social and economic opportunities, during and after the World Cup.
Financing
Original estimates put the cost of the stadium at R895 million, of which the city of Port Elizabeth would have been expected to pay R 95 million. This was part of an informal agreement on World Cup stadium funding, whereby local municipalities would cover 10% of costs, provincial government 20% and national treasury would cover the other 70%.As with other World Cup stadium in South Africa, construction costs for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium spiralled substantially. It increased from the June 2006 estimated cost of R 711 million, to R 1.5 billion in May 2008, and finally the completed cost of R 2.065 billion. The stadium eventually cost R 2.1 billion to build, of which the city has already paid R 336 million, and may still be laible to pay a shortfall of R 261 million. However, if the shortfalls are calculated based on the 10-20-70 split, then the national government may still owes the city R 70.5 million and provincial government R 191 million. National treasury has so far contributed R 1.375 billion, or 66.5% of the stadium’s cost. Despite this,national treasury has stated that they will not issue more funds to World Cup stadiums.
It appears as though Port Elizabeth residents may make up the short fall through larger rates increases. There will be an extra 2% increase in property rates, an extra 1% increase in water tariffs and sanitation and refuse rates, as well as an extra 4% increase in electricity tariffs.
The stadium's running costs are estimated to be R18 million per year. The stadiums operating company, Access Facilities and Leisure Management, expect to break even by 2012.
Transport
The stadium is located along the city's new BRTBus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
network. Currently, the dedicated lanes for the buses have been built. Once completed, the BRT buses will ferry people to and from the stadium during game days. The main bus station servicing the stadium will be located in Harrower Road. There will be routes to the stadium from the airport, fan park and the beach front. In addition to the BRT network, there will be a number of 'park and ride' areas. These will be located at King's Beach, St George's Park and Andrew Rabie High School. There will also be a 'park and walks' from Cilliè High School and Dr Viljoen Primary School. There will also be match day train services to the North End train station, which is located about 1.3 km from the stadium.
While the network is still being built, the Algoa Bus Company has set up temporary bus stops in the surrounding streets. These are used on game days, to provide public transport until the completion of the BRT network.
Precinct
Within the stadium area is a public park, left over from the old Prince Alfred Park. The park is intended to be open to the public, for picnics during the spring and summer months, it is also likely to be used for small scale outdoor concerts. A cycle track will be built on the western side of the stadium, between the stadium and the North End Lake. A paved walkway has been built around the outside of the stadium, along the shores of the lake.2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The stadium was originally planned to be, one of five venues to be utilised in the event, and the only new stadium in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...
. The other four stadiums to be used were Ellis Park Stadium
Ellis Park Stadium
Ellis Park Stadium, also known because of its sponsorship by The Coca-Cola Company as Coca-Cola Park, is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's...
, Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and association football stadium situated in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and hosted the 2009 Currie Cup final...
, Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Royal Bafokeng Stadium
The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars...
and Free State Stadium
Free State Stadium
The Free State Stadium , also known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and association football...
. The four stadiums were already built and merely received upgrades for the Confederations Cup.
On July 8, 2008 it was announced that the stadium had been removed from the list of stadiums for the 2009 Confederations Cup as it was believed it would not be ready on time. Surprisingly, however, it became the first newly built 2010 stadium to be completed.
2010 FIFA World Cup
The stadium hosted 8 games during the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
tournament. It hosted 5 group games, as well as a round of 16 game, a quarterfinal and the 3rd/4th playoff was played at the stadium.
The stadium's games were:
| Date | Time (UTC+2 UTC+2 UTC+02 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:-Central Africa Time:*Botswana*Burundi*Democratic Republic of the Congo... ) |
Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-12 | 13.30 |  Korea RepublicKorea Republic national football team The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,... |
2–0 |  GreeceGreece national football team The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos... |
Group B 2010 FIFA World Cup Group B Group B of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 22 June 2010. The group consisted of Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece.... |
31,513 |
| 2010-06-15 | 16.00 |  Cote d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire national football team The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football... |
0–0 |  PortugalPortugal national football team The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento... |
Group G 2010 FIFA World Cup Group G Group G of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 15 June and ended on 25 June 2010. The group consisted of reigning South American champions Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d'Ivoire and Portugal. This group, along with Group D, was labeled a group of death.... |
37,034 |
| 2010-06-18 | 13.30 |  GermanyGermany national football team The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900.... |
0–1 | Serbia Serbia national football team The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović... |
Group D 2010 FIFA World Cup Group D Group D of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 13 June and ended on 23 June 2010. The group consisted of Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana. Along with Group G, it was considered to be a group of death.... |
38,294 |
| 2010-06-21 | 16.00 |  ChileChile national football team The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in... |
1–0 |  SwitzerlandSwitzerland national football team The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland... |
Group H 2010 FIFA World Cup Group H Group H of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 16 June and ended on 25 June 2010. The group consisted of reigning European champions Spain, Switzerland, Honduras and Chile.... |
34,872 |
| 2010-06-23 | 16.00 |  SloveniaSlovenia national football team The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991.... |
0–1 |  EnglandEngland national football team The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first... |
Group C 2010 FIFA World Cup Group C Group C of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 23 June 2010. The group consisted of England, the United States, Algeria, and Slovenia... |
36,893 |
| 2010-06-26 | 16.00 |  UruguayUruguay national football team The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez... |
2–1 | Korea Republic Korea Republic national football team The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,... |
Round of 16 | 30,597 |
| 2010-07-02 | 16.00 | | Netherlands |
2–1 |  BrazilBrazil national football team The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the... |
Quarter Finals | 40,186 |
| 2010-07-10 | 20.30 | Uruguay Uruguay national football team The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez... |
2–3 | Germany Germany national football team The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900.... |
3rd/4th Place Play-off | 36,254 |
Football
On 4 July 2009, the stadium hosted the 2009 edition of the Premier's Cup. The teams contesting the cup were, Supersport United, Kaizer Chiefs, Bloemfontein Celtic, and Bay United. 20,000 fans attended this event.On 23 July 2009, the stadium hosted a leg of the 2009 Vodacom Challenge
Vodacom Challenge
The Vodacom Challenge is a association football pre-season tournament that features Vodacom-sponsored South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs plus from 2006 onwards an invited European club...
. The match involved the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs. The 30,000 strong crowd watched the Kaizer Chiefs win 4–3 on penalties, after the game ended 1–1. Kaizer Chiefs went on to face Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in the final of the challenge.
On 9 August 2009, (Women's Day in South Africa) a special double-header of games was played. This, along with female musical acts were performed to celebrate Women's Day. The first match involved two women's teams, Nelson Mandela Bay XI and Amatole Invitational XI, the second was between a Brazilian legends team and a South African legends team. The Brazilian legends were drawn from their 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
winning squad. The South African team was drawn from the 1996 African Cup of Nations
1996 African Cup of Nations
-Group B:---------------------Group C:------------ withdrew, so their three matches were canceled.*vs. , January 16, 1996*vs. , January 19, 1996*vs...
winners.
On 14 November 2009, the stadium hosted its first international football match. A friendly between Bafana Bafana
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
and Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
was played at the stadium. A crowd of 44,000 watched as the game ended in a 0–0 draw.
On 20 November 2009, the stadium hosted its first Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League is the trading name of the National Soccer League of South Africa. The top league is the ABSA Premiership, sponsored by ABSA...
game. Santos
Santos Football Club (South Africa)
Santos Football Club or simply Santos, also known under their sponsored title as Engen Santos, is a professional South African football club based in Lansdowne, Cape Town that plays in the Premier Soccer League.-History:...
'hosted' Kaizer Chiefs at the stadium, as no venue was available in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
due to World Cup renovations. A crowd of 20,000 was in attendance as Kaizer Chiefs won 1–0 in controversial fashion.
On 14 January 2010, the stadium hosted a friendly match. The match was between local National First Division
National First Division
The National First Division is the second-highest league of South African club football after the Premier Soccer League . Both the NFD and PSL are organised by the National Soccer League.-For seasons in 2007-11:...
club, Bay United and the South Korea
Korea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
. Korea won 3–1.
On 28 February 2010, Orlando Pirates 'hosted' Gaborone United
Gaborone United
Gaborone United, or short GU, are a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone.-Honors:*Botswana Premier League : 6** 1967, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1990, 2009*Botswana Challenge Cup: 5** 1968, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1990...
in the second leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League
2010 CAF Champions League
The 2010 CAF Champions League was the 46th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football , and the 14th edition under the current CAF Champions League format...
. The game ended 2 all, with Gaborone United advancing on the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
. The match also served as part of the stadiums official opening ceremony. This included local music acts, a junior football match, and the unveiling of the stadiums official plaque.
The stadium will host the 2011 edition of the Nelson Mandela Challenge. The international friendly between Bafana Bafana
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
and the Ivory Cooast will be played on 12 November.
Rugby
The Eastern Province Rugby Union have moved all future matches to the stadium. From 2010 onwards, all of Eastern Province'sEastern Province Kings
The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
and Vodacom Cup
Vodacom Cup
The Vodacom Cup is an annual rugby union competition in South Africa which is contested between February and May. The cup is the third most prestigious competition in rugby union in South Africa, behind Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. It runs at roughly the same time as Super Rugby and serves as an...
matches will be played at the stadium. Their first match since officially moving to the stadium was their 26–25 victory over the Griffons
Griffons (rugby team)
The Griffons, currently referred to as the Tasol Solar Griffons for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
.
On 16 June 2009 (Youth Day in South Africa), the stadium played host to a British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
tour match
2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009....
. The game was between the Lions and the newly launched Southern Kings
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
. The game was attended by over 35,000 fans, and the Lions won 20–8.
On 19 September 2009, the Eastern Province Mighty Elephants
Eastern Province Kings
The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
played their first Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
First Division game at the stadium. They beat the Falcons
Falcons (rugby team)
The Falcons, or Valke in Afrikaans, are a South African rugby union team in Gauteng province that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments....
44–8. In addition, the province's U19 and U21 teams played each other in curtain raisers to the main match.
On 23 January 2010, the stadium hosted a Super 14 warm-up match. The Cheetahs
Central Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
played an Eastern Province invitational team
Eastern Province Kings
The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
. In front of a crowd of 15,000, EP lost 13–9 to the Cheetahs. A curtain raiser was played between 2 Port Elizabeth rugby clubs, Police and Progress.
On 26 February 2010, Eastern Province
Eastern Province Kings
The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
played the Pampas XV
Pampas XV
Pampas XV is an Argentine rugby union team, currently playing in the South African domestic rugby union competition, the Vodacom Cup. The team was established in 2010 and is composed almost entirely by members of the High Performance Plan of the UAR....
(an Argentine team), in the first round of the 2010 Vodacom Cup
2010 Vodacom Cup
The 2010 Vodacom Cup was contested from 26 February to 7 May. The 2010 Vodacom Cup is the 13th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions, as well as two invitational...
. The game ended in a 27-all draw, in front of a crowd of approximately 8,700.
On 10 September 2010, the stadium hosted the final of the EP Grand Challenge, the top league for rugby clubs in the province. The match was between Uithenhage's Progress rugby club and defending champions, Port Elizabeth's Park rugby club. Park rugby club won 28-25, and they went on to represent Eastern Province at the 2010 National Club Championships.
On 29 October, the Eastern Province Kings
Eastern Province Kings
The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
played the Pumas
Pumas (rugby team)
The Ford Pumas are a South African rugby union team that competes in the Premier Division of the 2011 Currie Cup. Based at Puma Stadium in Witbank as well as the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, the team draws their players from Mpumalanga Province .The Pumas won the Currie Cup First Division The...
in the 2nd leg of their Currie Cup promotion/relegation match. The Pumas won the match 46-28, to retain their Premier Division status. The match set a new stadium attendance record of 45 000.
The stadium is set to host a series of Super Rugby warm up matches in 2011. These matches will involve the Southern Kings
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
playing against South Africa's 5 other Super Rugby franchises.
In April 2011, the South African Rugby Union
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
(SARU) announced that the stadium would become the new home of the country's leg
South Africa Sevens
South Africa Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in South Africa each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series.As of the 2010–11 series, 12 tournaments have been held in South Africa—one in Stellenbosch, two in Durban, and nine at the most recent location, George...
of the annual IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
starting with the 2011–12 season. The tournament had previously been held at George
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
.
On 20 August 2011, the stadium hosted its first rugby test, which was played between South Africa and New Zealand during the fifth game of the 2011 Tri Nations Series.
Concerts
The stadium was to host its first concert on 29 November 2009. The 12 hour event was called the Bay Summer Concert, and was to feature Busta RhymesBusta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, as well as other top acts. Despite all the needed arrangements being made, Busta Rhymes decided not to honour the event. Instead, he chose to do a concert at a local club. He arrived at the stadium hours late, and told those who had stayed, to go to the club that he would be performing at.
A second concert was planned for the stadium from 18 to 20 December 2009. It was billed as the 'Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival', and was to have such artists as Keri Hilson
Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch...
but was cancelled due to lack of funds.
It appears as though the failed 'Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival', will now take place from 16 to 19 December at the stadium. Dompas Media, the event organisers, have said that the same artists who were billed for the 2009 edition, will now perform at the 2010 concert.
Jonathan Butler
Jonathan Butler
Jonathan Butler is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music is often classified as R&B, jazz fusion or worship music.-Biography:...
performed at the stadium on 26 February 2011.
Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
performed at the stadium on April 8, 2011. The concert was part of his four date, first time to South Africa tour.
Other Large Events
On 6 June 2009 an open day was held at the stadium for residents of the city to see the new venue, as well as serve as a trial run of the stadiums match readiness. The event was attended by government officials as well as 17,000 residents.On 18 November 2009, the stadium hosted the Miss World Sports
Miss World Sports
Miss World Sports or Sportswoman is a title and award given to the winner of a sports event at Miss World. It is a fast track or preliminary event, giving the winner automatically makes it into the semifinals. So far there are 5 Miss World Sports winners starting at 2003...
event of the Miss World 2009
Miss World 2009
Miss World 2009, the 59th Miss World pageant, was held on December 12, 2009 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. 112 contestants from all over the world competed for the crown, marking the biggest turnout in the pageant's history...
pageant.
A group of South African churches held a mass prayer around the stadium on 22 March 2010 (a public holiday due to Human Rights Day falling on a Sunday in 2010). They intended to create a chain of people, 1,000m long, around the stadium and hold a 15 minute prayer at 16:00. They prayed for a blessing on both the stadium and World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
The stadium was used to attempt to set a new world record for the most women in bikinis in one place. The attempt was in aid of the Cancer Association of South, and took place on 23 October 2010. With only 905 participants, the record attempt failed, however two other records were set. These were for the largest bikini and swimwear parades.
Post World Cup Usage
The Eastern Province Rugby Union have now moved from the EPRU Stadium to Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, after the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. From 2010 onwards the Eastern Province Kings
Eastern Province Kings
The Eastern Province Kings are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments and are governed by the Eastern Province Rugby Union...
will play their Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
games at the stadium. They have also moved their administrative head quarters to the stadium. The Nelson Mandela Bay regional branch of SAFA
South African Football Association
The South African Football Association or SAFA is the governing body of football in South Africa.-History:The South African Football Association was founded on 8 December, 1991, the culmination of a long unity process that was to rid the sport in South Africa of all its past racial division.Four...
will also move its headquarters to the stadium.
After the World Cup the stadium may be used as the home ground for the Southern Kings
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
if they are admitted to Super Rugby. While Melbourne
Melbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
has been announced as the winner of the 15th franchise, the Southern Kings are now hoping to be included in the South African Conference.
Bay United may use the stadium if they return to the Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League is the trading name of the National Soccer League of South Africa. The top league is the ABSA Premiership, sponsored by ABSA...
, however the club's chairman, Sipho Pityana has raised the concern of stadium rental being too high for the club to afford. In contrast, Nelson Mandela Bay SAFA
South African Football Association
The South African Football Association or SAFA is the governing body of football in South Africa.-History:The South African Football Association was founded on 8 December, 1991, the culmination of a long unity process that was to rid the sport in South Africa of all its past racial division.Four...
regional president, Johnson Kula, has said that Bay United play a key role in the viability of the stadium.
The stadium will also likely be used to host Springbok
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
test matches and Bafana Bafana
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
matches. It has now been confirmed that the stadium will host the 2011 Tri Nations match between the Springboks and New Zealand.
The stadium is likely to host a leg of the 2011 Vodacom Challenge
Vodacom Challenge
The Vodacom Challenge is a association football pre-season tournament that features Vodacom-sponsored South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs plus from 2006 onwards an invited European club...
, as it did in 2009. The stadium management are also in talks with PSL
Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League is the trading name of the National Soccer League of South Africa. The top league is the ABSA Premiership, sponsored by ABSA...
clubs, in an attempt to have one of them move to the stadium.
The South African leg
South Africa Sevens
South Africa Sevens is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in South Africa each year. It is part of the IRB Sevens World Series.As of the 2010–11 series, 12 tournaments have been held in South Africa—one in Stellenbosch, two in Durban, and nine at the most recent location, George...
of the IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
was up for tender in late 2010, and the Eastern Province Rugby Union announced an intention to host the event. The South African government also gave its backing to Port Elizabeth hosting the event. Ultimately, the SARU announced that Port Elizabeth had won the bidding for hosting rights, and would hold the event at the stadium from 2011 forward.
The stadium is also in line to be a host venue for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to be the 30th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa . For the second time, the tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Morocco - the previous tournament held in Morocco was in 1988.-Intended Bids:-Bids shortlist:CAF...
, which South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
is bidding to host. The stadium would also be used in future bids for South Africa to host the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
.