2010 Stadium Watch

The end

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 09:36:00 +0000

2nd year university at Rhodes is on the horizon for me and the workload and difficulty will only increase from here. After much deliberation, I have decided to call it quits on the blog in terms of new posts. The global recession has hit SA developments hard and the post World Cup hangover is still a reality. New developments are few and far between in SA at the moment. I leave you with this blog which could quite possibly be labeled as one of the best diaries of SA's 2010 build-up on the web. All the posts are readily available to be viewed by clicking the older posts link at the bottom of the page or the blog archive section to the right of this post. PE's World Cup stadium is obviously the focal point, yet all stadium progress has been charted in the lead up to the World Cup. In depth analysis of the architectural design and meaning of the new structures has been included in some posts. Take a stroll down memory lane and see for yourself.

Change of direction

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:56:00 +0000

Hi all. After the closing of the World Cup, there's obviously been little to report on 2010 stadiums. All were completed timeously as we know and let's hope none become white elephants and all are used often and consistently. Being at university this year has hampered the frequency of my posts but, being back home for the holiday, I intend to post more often. I am planning to change direction now to focus on general infrastructural developments in South Africa. As we as a country try to move from developing status to developed status, great investment in infrastructure is required. Socio-economic problems can only be sorted out through job creation which in turn needs foreign investment. Infrastructure in South Africa is already far more extensive than any other country on the African continent, yet more needs to be done and is being done for SA to keep up with the times. I will not delete any stadium posts so the history of the PE stadium's development is available for view. The blog will however receive a new look highlighting its new focus.

World Cup action

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:50:00 +0000

After years of watching work on the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, over the past week we finally got to experience just what it was built for - World Cup action. It certaily lived up to our expectaions. The first match we watched was the final group encounter between England and Slovenia, which England had to win in order to progress. They scraped through 1-0. On Saturday, we watched the first of the last-16 matches, in which Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1.

England fans start to arrive at the spruce stadium.

Two fans, the one on the left going by the name of Luke Bentley and the other his brother Douglas, savour the brilliant architectural and engineering gem as they head to their seats

The glass-fronted booths had us mystified for a while, but we assumed they are special TV commentary studios.

At each match, official flags of the two competing teams flank the Fifa flag.

Sprinklers water the pitch ahead of the game.

England fans stake out their territory with their flags.

England in the foreground, and Slovenia, warm up.

Wherever a space was on offer, the English fans covered it with the cross of St George.

The three in blue on the right are the referee and linesmen, who also need to warm up.

With about half an hour till kick-off, the stand fills up nicely.

Press box. The rows of white "desks" reserved for the media were almost chock-a-block.

Even during practice ahead of the game, Wayne Rooney battled to get the ball into the back of the net. But, in truth, he had a fine game, hitting the upright and setting up several other goal-scoring opportunities.

Shortly before the teams came out, the vuvuzela-led cacophony was at its height, as the last of the spectators took their seats.

The nationl flags are taken onto the pitch ahead of the national anthems.

The game was played in perfect conditions, as reflected in the gentle pink clouds above the stadium shortly before sunset.

Before heading for the stadium on Saturday, we visited the refurbished Donkin Reserve, where this giant SA flag, measuring 12m by 8m was flying.

The 1820 Donkin pyramid and lighthouse have been neatly integrated into the upgrade.

Even the navy was present, with a frigate spotted in Algoa Bay, while tourists enjoy a hands-on sculpture by Anton Momberg on the Donkin Reserve.

Inside the stadium and a group of Korean fans ham it up for the cameras ahead of the game.

A kuduzela - a vuvuzela shaped like the horn of a kudu - and guitar are among the colourful items used by these fans pictured on the big screen during the build-up.

Ref's turn again. The ref and linesmen join the Koreans during warm-up.

The mascot Zakumi, which took something of a back seat to the ubiquitous vuvuzelas, was the fun toy of this young fan, while her dad took pictures of the momentous occasion.

Reminding fans of that epic opening concert at Orlando Stadium, during the build-up snatches of Shakira singing Waka Waka were shown.

Finally, as the warm weather gave way to a cool, cloudy evening, the teams emerged for the anthems.

The Koreans unfurled two massive flags during the singing of their anthem.

There was a throng of photographers at the corners behind both goals.

The Uruguayans celebrate after scoring their opening goal.

The heavens opened towards the end of the second half, as South Korea battled in vain to find an equaliser.

5 days to go

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:08:00 +0000

In a last city tour of FIFA World Cup preparations, one can see that finishing touches are being applied and everything is up and ready for action come June 11. The tour encompassed the beach front, stadium precinct, Donkin Memorial and St George's Park cricket ground, host of the fan park showing World Cup matches. All looks in good condition with the city far cleaner and more pleasing to the eye than usual. Roads being tarred around the stadium are complete. Beautification and landscaping of the precinct are now complete. The beach front area has also received attention, with removal of the unsightly old swimming pool, as well as Brooke's Pavilion building completed and currently underway respectively.

The Donkin Memorial, however, seems problematic. It looks doubtful that it will be completed before the first match kicks off. The large SA flag should've been hoisted by such time but surrounding earthworks are still ongoing. One can only hope it'll be completed during the tournament for tourists to frequent during quarterfinal and 3rd place matches.

The fan park at St George's Park is being prepared, with a large 75m squared screen being put in place and a stage being assembled next door. This stage will host local talent before kickoff, during halftime intervals and after the match. The fan park looks the place to be for a true World Cup vibe if one lacks tickets into the stadium.

Pictures illustrating such developments:

Beach front developments are diverse. Flags and colours are the order of the day as the Tournament draws nearer.

On the left goes the big screen, on the right, the stage. The fan park will have a carnival atmosphere.

Further view of the setup.

From the opposite end of St George's Park cricket ground.

Main route into the stadium. BRT infrastructure in place as the colossus looms in the background.

Medical tents for the injured players.

Landscaping of the surrounds includes this unique paving stone encircling the newly planted tree. Lights are astride to light up the trees for night matches.

Hyundai circular advertising structure. Certainly catches the eye.

Ticket retrieval and searching. The excitement will palpable in this set of narrow passages come match days.

FIFA signage on the entrance. The walkway towards the entrance is paved and well lit, and increases the anticipation a notch before walking into the bowl.

A typically South African, Eastern Cape flower, the aloe. A true taste of SA for foreigners visiting the games.

The centre of attention in Nelson Mandela Bay over the next month.

Gearing up for Sepp

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 29 May 2010 12:27:00 +0000

With Fifa president Sepp Blatter due to visit the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth tomorrow (Sunday, May 30) there was plenty of activity around the World Cup venue when we visited today. Thankfully, the mammoth paving project outside the Alfred Road entrance - clearly the main entrance to the stadium - is complete. Elsewhere in the city, other major projects are still lagging, especially on the showpiece Donkin Reserve, where the mammoth 12m by 8m SA flag, raised at a ceremony in the gale yesterday, was conspicuous by its absence.

Brick paving galore characterises the main entrance to the stadium in Alfred Road, which saw final preparations yesterday ahead of Sepp Blatter's visit.

This area was a dusty wasteland last time we visited. Now it has been grassed and looks a lot cooler.

A view of the Milner Avenue entrance, which shows there are still some ugly areas to be patched up. We also noticed that lights have been installed along the length of Milner Avenue and up Gibaud Road, with a new walkway on the northern side of the lake nearing completion and the road being widened. Should be ready by June 13, when the first match is held in Port Elizabeth.

Then there is this! Harrower Road, a key link to the stadium, still needs plentch work.

Further afield, we took a look at the St George's Park cricket stadium, scene for the city's Fan Park - and found this poster with a plan of the ground dating back to the 2003 ICC World Cup. There was, in fact, no visible sign, outside the stadium, of preparations for the fan park.

Nice view. When Sir Rufane Donkin named the tiny village below him Port Elizabeth, after his late wife, in 1820, he stood on an area he proclaimed public open space in perpetuity. The Donkin Reserve is being upgraded, and this statue is one of 67 art works being installed on a Mandela Walk - or "Route 67" - named after his 67 years of public service. This will lead from the 1923 Campanile (marking the British Settlers' arrival in 1820) and across the Donkin.

A closer view of the sculpture.

Another view of the sculpture, with the dusty Donkin reserve and pyramid, built in 1820.

Another view of the statue. The lighthouse on the right was built in 1861.

More paving on the Donkin. There is light at the end of this tunnel.

Closer inspection reveals interesting landscaping under way.

With the giant flagpole on the left, a paved area links it to the historic pyramid.

A road, Jetty Street, once ran along here, next to the Market Square. It was subsequently covered to form a bus terminus, with the Campanile Hotel on the right suffering as a result. Now they have removed some of that concrete and are building a showpiece staircase linking Strand Street to the Market Square.

A view of construction work at the sight from the Market Square, with the Campanile in the distance, behind the freeway obstruction.

Sculptures installed

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:50:00 +0000

With just three weeks to kick-off, things are indeed starting to take shape in Port Elizabeth, but roadworks still seem to be the stumbling block. However, the two steel sculptures near the airport have been installed, with work on the airport road (Allister Miller Drive) and the important Heugh Road through Walmer all but complete. Here are some pictures taken on Tuesday, May 18.

The top section of a football is meant to be depicted in this sculpture on a traffic circle near the Port Elizabeth airport. The metal flags seem to point in the direction of the stadium.

A close-up view of one of the two sculptures.

Fettes Road is all but ready, with colourful bunting now in place.

Alfred Road remains a problem, despite the pretty bunting.

Paving work at the Milner Avenue entrance nears completion. The containers visible here behind a pallisade fence we have been told will house a massive back-up generator.

Cabling work at the media centre continues.

Earthworks next to the North End lake.

More bare earth next to the lake.

The nearly completed Milner Avenue entrance.

Another view down troublesome Alfred Road.

The map of Africa becomes a head, heading a ball in these attractive banners.

Further afield, in Govan Mbeki Avenue, the weeds in the centre island are nearly as high as the young trees. A deal was signed on May 18 between the taxi industry and the city council on the implementation of the bus transit system.

Bunting has also gone up on Shark Rock Pier at Hobie Beach.

Another view of the pier.

Danger signs. Some of the wooden railings on the pier are badly rotted, while the rust has crept into steel fixtures.

Colourful bunting along Allister Miller Drive.

Touch and go

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:14:00 +0000

IT is going to be touch and go. A tour of the city, and especially of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium precinct, reveals that rather a lot of work still needs to be done, with just over a month to go till the June 11 start of the Fifa World Cup.

Here are a heap of new pictures, including several around the city, to give visitors some idea of how the place looks, and what's being done to spruce it up - and also what's being neglected.

Mystery new construction. Between the stadium and North End Lake this new prefabricated building has shot up in the past two weeks. What it will be used for we cannot say, but perhaps entertainment functions will be held here for the larnies, which is an SA term for the celebs and moneyed classes.

A closer view of the new construction, which somewhat detracts from the beauty of the stadium.

A shot showing the new building in relation to the stadium, with containers in the foreground still to be removed.

In the distance can be seen the new building under construction. The view is from the Milner Avenue side.

Pristine. The Alfred Road entrance is virtually complete, with new stair rails having recently been installed. Outside, however, as we'll see, much work is still needed.

Benches have also been installed along the paved walkway on the Alfred Road side.

Not looking so kosher is the paving along Alfred Road.

More paving work under way near the Alfred Road entrance.

The stadium prides itself in its "green" achievements as far as recycling of waste is concerned. Also, indigenous trees and shrubs are being used, such as these outside the Alfred Road entrance, ready for planting.

Also on the Milner Avenue side, massive rolls of cables can be seen outside what we assume is the temporary media centre next to the stadium.

A scaffolding walkway has been installed between the media centre (green and white on right, partly obscured by container) and the stadium. The media's seats in the stand are not far from where the scaffolding joins the building.

More containers (grey, right) have been placed on the paving on the Milner Avenue side, while temporary fencing has been extended.

The paving process has gone overboard at the Milner Avenue entrance, where they have taken the paving right across the road. Somebody has secured a nice sub-contract for all this work. It just makes you wonder how it is going to be maintained in the long term, given how run-down parts of the city have been allowed to become in recent months. Hopefully the municipality will pull out all the stops before the world arrives on our doorstep.

The softening effect of a bit of grass. Since we last visited, large areas have been grassed (another nice contract). This is also on the Milner Avenue side, with the large tree on the right the one that once housed a carpet in its branches, part of which we still spotted on a lower branch. Higher up they seem to have installed a wooden "nest" for the raptors (hawks, I think) they are using to combat any meddlesome vermin. And here we're not talking about football hooligans!

More green, green grass has been planted on the Fettes Road side.

Also on the Fettes Road side, what we think is a practice pitch is still to be grassed, though the entire surrounds are now softly green.

At the Fettes Road entrance, a final area between walkway and tarred parking area is being readied either for grass or, hopefully not, more brick paving.

The big area of concern is whether roadworks further afield, like this at the corner of Fettes Road and Harrower Road, will be completed in time. The situation is also bad near the airport.

Talking of the airport, when we were there last weekend (40 days to go on the countdown clock), we espied this large temporary prefabricated arrivals terminal which has been erected next to the permanent one. They are expecting something like four times the normal passenger traffic ahead of big games, especially the first-round match between England and Slovenia on June 23.

The new temporary arrivals terminal.

With the new temporary terminal in the distance, something of the 2010 World Cup spirit has been created with the installation of these posters at the main arrivals terminal. Inside the concourse we found a great curio shop selling Cup memorabilia.

It just shot up! This new hotel next to the airport is all but complete, a welcome new addition to the city's growing accommodation infrastructure.

This 45-metre tall flag pole has just been erected on the Donkin Reserve as part of its upgrade. Whether it will detract badly from the iconic 1820 Donkin Pyramid remains to be seen once the refurbishment of the area is completed. A lot of work is still to be done in just a month.

There is a flurry of activity on the site, which is far, far from ready.

Plenty work afoot. It was a Saturday when we visited, and workers were hard at it on the Donkin. The new flag pole can be seen on the left. The plan is to hoist a 12m by 8m national flag there at a ceremony towards the end of the month by when, presumably, work must be complete.

A disgrace. Across Whites Road from the Donkin Reserve is this eyesore. The historic Grand Hotel is a rundown mess, though the owners do say they intend restoring it to its former glory. The sooner the better.

Soccer City. This huge advert has been placed over part of Newspaper House in Baakens Street. A mock-up of the Johannesburg Sunday Times, the nation's biggest newspaper, it features a photograph of Soccer City, venue for the opening match and the final. The 19th century old Post Office building on the left is another disgrace, left by its owner to fall into ruin. While part of the roof is being repaired, this has been done at the loss of an ornate chimney and ventilation feature.

Work is under way at King's Beach where the unsightly old Smartie Train and paddling pool have been removed and the area is being grassed, which will provide a great place to kick a soccer ball around.

Historic features are part of what gives a city its character. Sadly, in recent years Port Elizabeth's council has been pretty rudderless in this regard, as key buildings fall into disrepair. This feature on the esplanade near Humewood Beach commemorates the Memorable Order of Tin Hats, or MOTHS, which like a lot of the esplanade is looking terribly shoddy.

Just a bit further up Beach Road, however, a new City Lodge hotel has shot up in the past few months, although it won't be ready by June 11 - but you never know ...

Nearly 20 years ago the Brooks Pavilion went up on a site which for generations was a caravan site with one of the best views in the country. It fell into disrepair, but is now being gutted and refurbished and will house restaurants again in the future.

This budding Ronaldo was spotted keeping a ball up on a tatty stretch of land next to the Shark Rock pier at Hobie Beach. The area was used for the Splash Fetival over Easter, but no attempt seems to have been made to get the grass growing again on all the bald patches. Just not good enough!

Bayworld, previously the Oceanarium, was once the pride of Port Elizabeth. The leaping dolphin sculpture on the right is a trifle redundant given that the last two dolphins were shipped across to Hong Kong several months back. The facility still does house other sea mammals rescued in Algoa Bay, as well as large fish tanks, a snake park and the Museum.

Port Elizabeth's Stonehenge. These monoliths rising from the sheltered Indian Ocean at Humewood Beach are not quite as old as their British counterparts and are in fact the remnants of a whaling station slipway.

Peaceful place. And this, dear blog followers, is an empty bench overlooking Humewood Beach (note the remains of the metal slipway, which is linked to the monoliths). After all the World Cup drama, this is a great stretch of coastline on which to enjoy the quiet of the seashore.

Getting there, but it's going to be close

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:21:00 +0000

WITH tickets being sold at a frenzied rate, preparations in Port Elizabeth for the 2010 football fiesta are continuing apace - but some areas are lagging worryingly, especially the paving and roadworks near the stadium, and various other upgrades.

We did a windswept tour of part of the city and found a few new developments at the stadium, while the upgrade to the iconic Donkin Reserve, not far from the planned Fan Park at St George's Park in Central, looks very far from completion. To their credit, though, they were working on the project on a Saturday.

Another major problem around the city is the proliferation of weeds on sidewalks, and along the entire middle island of the bus rapid transit project in Govan Mbeki Avenue, formerly Main Street. But let's take a quick peek at what's happening with less than two months to kick-off.

The grassing of the last section around the stadium - next to North End Lake - is almost done. But, as this picture shows, there is still more equipment being stacked for heaven knows what.

Homage to the workers. We found this hard hat on the new lawn near the lake, and you can relax, there isn't a man buried up to his forehead underneath it!

Spot the geese! A group of Egyptian geese welcome the return of the lakeside to them as open territory after the years of upheaval. Not sure whether this road will be tarred or paved.

This neat piece of paving on the Milner Avenue side of the stadium has acquired a temporary fenced off area with about a dozen new containers and equipment, including aircon units. Hopefully they'll be gone soon.

Scenic splendour. The wind tears through a palm in the newly grassed area.

Paving along Fettes Road is nearly complete, with young trees planted.

There are still some disturbingly unfinished areas in Fettes Road, however. More worrying is the top of Harrower Road, where roadworks are far from finished.

The practice pitch off Fettes Road has been levelled with permiter grass planted, but nothing on the surface itself.

This large tree was one of many that survived the stadium development on the former Prince Alfred's Park. When we first started monitoring the stadium's progress, we spotted an old carpet which had somehow found itself hanging from the top branches. It has finally been removed.

Earthworks on the Donkin Reserve.

It is not quite clear what is being done to the Donkin Reserve, although the Mandela Bay Development Agency has revealed plans to instal public sculptures and a giant SA flag. One hopes the significance of Sir Rufane Donkin's pyramid, built in honour of his wife Elizabeth, after whom the city was named in 1820, will be accorded the necessary respect.

Some of the changes to the Donkin seem quite extensive. Again it is hoped the area won't lose its character whereby the combination of the pyramid and lighthouse are the dominant features.

Part of changes on the Donkin entailed the relocation of the palm trees from in front of the Edward Hotel to the Donkin Street/Belmont Terrace corner. Behind can be seen the row of historic Donkin Street terrace houses dating back to the mid to late 19th century.

With earthworks in the foreground, behind can be seen some of the Donkin Street terrace cottages which their owner has allowed to deteriorate to a dangerous level.

The row of Donkin Street houses have been likened to the "Painted Ladies" in San Francisco, USA. This image, from Wikipedia, shows just how well the Americans look after their historic Victorian and Edwardian houses.

The first Donkin Street terrace actually seems to have had some work done to it, though the front porch is missing its railing - probably used as firewood. It only serves to show up its decrepit neighbour, though.

The city's main street, Govan Mbeki Avenue, is looking spruce, with the BRT infrastructure almost complete, as seen here. However, large parts of the street were riddled with littered garbage on our trip - thanks to the striking municipal workers.

Weeds, weeds and more grass and weeds. The island down Govan Mbeki has received some young trees, but between them the weeds are flourishing, as they are across the city.

Picking up speed

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:53:00 +0000

After a definite lull in activity, one can once again feel the World Cup vibe. Landscaping around the stadium is progressing well, roads are being relayed and upgraded in the stadium surrounds. Signs and posters of imminent World Cup activity are beginning to adorn nearby buildings. A temporary structure for TV broadcasters has recently been erected, in addition to a massive 'satellite' dish from which television signals will be sent, eventually entering your home as crystal clear, live images. The World Cup is coming.

New practice pitches.

Landscaping at the lake side of the stadium.

Beautiful new grass.

Temporary TV broadcasting building.

This allows us to watch the action live.

A long, long time

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:21:00 +0000

Hi all. Yeah I know it's been a really long time since I last posted and I don't really have any excuses either. I suppose the matric exams affected the regularity, but since I should have kept all up to date, and I apologise for not doing so. I am going to do two posts in the next few days. This one will encompass stadium landscaping and the Newton Park pool progress. I will also post on the completion of every stadium, as all are now finished and ready for action.

Ground outside the western entrance ready for grassing.

Newly grassed and tarred areas alongside the stadium.

The long grass on the slopes leading up to the cauldron.

Due for paving outside the precinct.

Still to be grassed.

Sections of the surrounding areas have already been paved.

Paved entrance leading in.

More of the long grass and lighting tastefully added alongside the structure.

BRT work on surrounding roads.

The newly refurbished Newton Park swimming pool.

Inside the now covered arena.

Pool being retiled. All that's left is for this tiling work to be completed. Thereafter, the water can come in.

First international at PE's 2010 stadium

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:44:00 +0000

FINALLY, the new Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth experienced its first international soccer match, when Bafana Bafana played Japan on Saturday, and the venue for eight matches during next year’s World Cup – including a quarter-final and the third-place play-off – proved a resounding success.

With tickets all unreserved and costing just R30, the best seats – around the halfway mark – were already taken when we arrived an hour or so before kick-off. Our seats were nevertheless superb, with Japan playing towards “our” goal for the first half.

The atmosphere was fantastic, with the crowd in festive mood. And those put out by the vuvuzela cacophony can take comfort in knowing that a wad of cotton wool in each ear mutes the sound sufficiently for you to still enjoy being part of the throng.

By the time the game started, the place was almost full to its 48 000 capacity, with fans even taking up seats on the top tier.

The surface looked superb, with passes rolling along the grass like woods on a bowling green. Sure the match, which ended in a goalless draw, did not contain too many fireworks, but at least Bafana did not play ultra-defensively and made one or two scoring opportunities. The Blue Samurai showed they are a well-drilled outfit and were probably unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions.

But once again, three cheers to the stadium itself, which showed it will prove an ideal showcase during next year’s football fiesta. Roll on the World Cup!

With over an hour till kick-off, the stands around the half-way line were already packed.

Looking out towards the North End lake stand, with the orange players' tunnel just visible.

This Kaizer Chiefs supporter proved a great hit with the Bafana fans.

A giant Blue Samurai shirt and other Japanese calligraphy and images occupied part of the stand. It later made way for more fans.

The Bafana squad warms up ahead of the game.

With kick-off imminent, the place is starting to look packed.

A media scrum outside the tunnel awaits the arrival of the teams.

National anthem time.

Play is under way, with the Japanese on the attack.

Young fans blow their miniature vuvuzelas.

The scoreboard clock shows over 94 minutes have elapsed, with still no score.

The testing of the ring of fire . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:54:00 +0000

On Wednesday evening, the lights on the newly renamed Cape Town Stadium were tested. These lights, forming the ring of fire create an extraordinary view. The pictures below should give one an idea.

Pictures taken by Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town.

Mbombela Stadium officially complete.

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:14:00 +0000

The Mbombela Stadium built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has officially been completed. It was handed over to the Mbombela local municipality a few days ago. Now all that's left is for the surrounding roads and landscaping to be completed.

All courtesy Tadpolefarm, Skyscrapercity

The Mbombela Stadium

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Up country, in South Africa's Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces we find what can probably be described as 'typical' South Africa. When foreigners envisage SA, what do they think of? More than likely, they think of wide open bushveld expanses. They think of savanna and the big 5. There are 2 stadia in this setting, The Peter Mokaba Complex and The Mbombela Stadium. It is therefore fitting that both of these masterpieces have strong African design concepts.

I focused on the Peter Mokaba Complex in my previous post. Today, I focus on the next 'African' stadium, the Mbombela Stadium of Nelspruit. This stadium, I must confess, is one of my personal favourites. It is a perfect rugby and football venue. It has all the luxuries of any state of the art stadium including: Multiple suites and press boxes, changing rooms, 2 big screens, 44 000 seats etc. What amazes about this build is the ability of the architects and engineers to entwine African design features with a beautiful, modern, fully functional, world class venue. For example: The stunning giraffe figures may, to the layman, seem like an ornamental tie-in to the nearby Kruger National Park. Yet this giraffe structure is imperative to the stadium. The neck holds in place the cantilever roof, the back holds up the second tier, while the front and back legs add support for the roof and second tier. A merger between functionality and African architecture that takes the breath away.

Other African tie-ins are: Zebra stripe patterned seats and multi-coloured walls, many with Ndebele design patterns. All this culminates in a great, intimate venue, in which spectators are close to the action and can feast on the great footballers about to grace our shores.

All pictures courtesy, Levi Guimaraes, Flickr.

The Peter Mokaba Complex

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:28:00 +0000

The new asset to the Polokwane area is being well-received. Despite fears of the future use of this sports stadium, the Peter Mokaba Complex, when complete, will be the only world class facility with a capacity of 40 000 or more in the Limpopo Province. This province, with the highest number of registered football players in South Africa, has been yearning for a Newlands, Absa Stadium, Elllis Parkesque facility, and finally they are receiving. The burgeoning Polokwane municipal precinct, one of the fastest growing municipalities in South Africa is finally being recognised.

The stadium itself is simple, yet effective. It has an ingeniously designed roof over the main stand, with supports resembling a baobab. Facilities are of the highest order with all bases from executive suites to players changing rooms, to press facilities, to toilets covered. The bowl has been impeccably designed for the watching of soccer and rugby. Slightly concave stands, reminiscent of our own Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, will ensure all attention is directed squarely to the field of play. A comfortable, world-class facility will welcome Polokwane residents with open arms, come completion date towards the end of this month.

All images courtesy Ranma Saotome, SkyscraperCity

Exciting times

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:01:00 +0000

Almost all SA 2010 stadiums are due to be completed this month. The exception being Green Point Stadium, due for completion on December 14. Mbombela will be complete within a couple of weeks, Peter Mokaba should definitely be finished this month. At Moses Mabhida, seats are in place, roof is in place, pitch has been laid, literally leaving the finishing touches before the stadium's official inauguration. Obviously PE's Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was completed in June. Green Point Stadium is currently undergoing facade, pitch and seating installation concurrently, preparing the beauty for the world spotlight. Soccer City is practically finished - seats in, pitch laid, facade complete. What's left is just the surrounding landscaping. Here are some gems of our nearly completed semi-final venues.

The interior of the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Courtesy ethekwini girl, flickr.

Exterior Moses Mabhida shots courtesy of Leftfoot, SkyscraperCity.

Green Point facade going in place - Mo Rush

And finally, perhaps forgotten, a link to webcam shots of our 6 new stadia as they currently stand . . . http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=634069

Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Apologies for the lag in posts once again. I realise posting is becoming perhaps a bit too infrequent. I plan to rectify this in the coming weeks with full updates from across the country. A week and a half long holiday from school after trial exams is just the ticket to fulfill this endeavour. Anyway, some recent Green Point Stadium pics and Mbombela Stadium pics can be seen below. I don't think I've posted from Green Point all that recently so the change should be quite astounding. Facade is well and truly underway and the product is starting to look more and more like the artist impression first seen about 3 years ago. Mbombela is progressing well, with landscaping, paving and the pitch seeming to be the focal point of preparations.

Pics courtesy Chris Bloom, City of Cape Town.

Picture once again courtesy of Tadpolefarm.

Seating, grass and completion.

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:34:00 +0000

The following pictures of Moses Mabhida Stadium, Peter Mokaba Stadium and Mbombela Stadium all show stadia nearing completion. For the most part, across the country, seating is going in and pitch preparation is underway. Our stadia our structurally complete with just landscaping and finishing touches still to be done. It is quite astonishing to think of all the work that has gone into the preparations. 4 years ago, if I had said that in 4 years time there would be 6 new gleaming stadiums dotting the country, I'm sure many would've laughed at me. Yet here's the proof. All pictures courtesy of Tadpolefarm, SkyscraperCity.

The beatiful, perfectly African Mbombela Stadium. What a setting!

Seating and grass installation at Peter Mokaba.

Seats at the Moses Mabhida Stadium

Waiting for the grass ... and BRT

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:32:00 +0000

WITH the Nelson Mandela Bay 2010 Stadium complete, the focus now falls on the earthworks around it, including work on the Bus Rapid Transit system in Fettes Road, south of the stadium.

A visit to the site revealed that the landscaping around the stadium is forging ahead, with reed-like grasses planted on several of the steeper slopes, while in other areas, particularly on the east side along Alfred Road, grass-planting among the many trees should start soon.

Remember this was once Prince Alfred's Park, a green lung next to North End Lake, so it is imperative as much of it as possible be restored to parkland.

We also found that, thanks to a deal struck between the taxi associations and the municipality, work on the BRT is going well. Indeed, Govan Mbeki Avenue and Kempson Road we found were a hive of activity.

A visit to the Newton Park indoor swimming pool showed it too is nearing completion. We hope at some point to get inside to see whether the pool itself has been upgraded as part of its conversion to an indoor facility. Work is also under way on the exterior buildings, including the old changing rooms.

But let's let the pictures do the talking.

A barren wasteland on the southern side of the stadium along Fettes Road is being landscaped.

Reed-like grass has been planted on the slopes next to the stadium on the eastern side along Alfred Road, while the flat area between the surviving trees is awaiting grass.

More of the trees - mainly palms - on the Alfred Road side.

On the lake side of the stadium there is much landscaping activity under way.

This is on the corner of Fettes Road and the lake, where things are starting to take shape nicely.

Pallisade fencing is going up around the entire stadium. Here is the Milner Avenue corner to the north-west of the stadium.

We have been fascinated by this old carpet which somehow found its way into the top branches of this grand old tree, which fortunately survived the chop. Note the pallisade fencing around it. The stadium is to the right, not visible in this picture.

All the buzz is about BRT, and in Fettes Road, to the south-west of the stadium, much progress is to be seen.

Another view of the Fettes Road upgrade.

Further afield, BRT work is going on rapidly. The buses will run in designated lanes in the middle of the road. This is Govan Mbeki Avenue quite near the stadium.

Another view of BRT work in Govan Mbeki.

The old Newton Park swimming pool is barely recognisable as construction nears completion of its conversion to an indoor heated pool.

Integration of the old stadium has worked well.

Another view of the interesting roof at the Newton Park pool. The old outbuildings in the foreground also seem to be undergoing refurbishment.

2010 preparations

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:41:00 +0000

Unfortunately, many of the previously posted pictures are now offline and cannot be seen. This one, courtesy of Mo Rush, showing the last of the glass panels going in at Green Point Stadium, is the last one remaining.

Landscaping update

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 09:30:00 +0000

Landscaping is still underway, with the stadium itself complete. The landscaping does seem to be going at a rather slow rate however, as there are still large sections of the site unattended to. Another worrisome thing is the ‘containers’ in front of the entrance gates for searching when entering the stadium precinct on matchdays. Searches are necessary, but the ‘containers’ are a real eyesore and we can only hope that they are a temporary inclusion. Yet we must just be patient as the completion of the entire project – including surrounding roads and landscaping – is scheduled to be just before the World Cup next year. The stadium itself looks spectacular as always.

Blown away...

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:32:00 +0000

The venue for the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The best ever venue for a World Cup final. 95% complete. 95000 spectators. Be blown away!!

A quick update

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:54:00 +0000

Unfortunately, now that the NMB Stadium has been completed, the posts on this blog will become fewer and further between until the World Cup. During the World Cup I plan to post regularly on the happenings around our country as that month will be the most important month in South Africa since '94. The following are pictures of the current status of our new stadiums. All are now 80-90% complete and, despite a strike that only ended a few days ago, will be finished before the end of this year. The new builds:

Green Point Stadium

Courtesy of Mo Rush

Mbombela Stadium

Courtesy of Tadpolefarm

Moses Mabhida Stadium

Courtesy of Durbsboi

Courtesy of Chris Bloom

Peter Mokaba Stadium

Courtesy of Angh

The surrounds

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:56:00 +0000

Now that the stadium is complete, the emphasis falls on the landscaping and surroundings of the stadium. This is receiving much attention as we speak and is progressing well. Since my last visit to the stadium, for the British Lions match against the Southern Kings, there has been much progress including the completion of the entrances on Milner Avenue, Fettes Road and Prince Alfred Road, the erection of a palisade fence around the stadium precinct and the grassing of the slopes around the stadium.

Bafana Bafana!

noreply@blogger.com (Stadium Watch) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:27:00 +0000

Well, well, well!! The Boys are back in town! What a performance against Brazil. We matched them in defence, midfield and attack. The guys were hard-working and played with their hearts on their sleeves. They truly deserve to represent this country. But what does this performance mean? What does this achievement mean for the country, for football in our country? It shows that the potential we have had all along is starting to be pieced together to form a brilliant mosaic. Pieces of individual brilliance were once scattered, they are starting to be brought together. One can liken the the evolution of a football team to the building of a stadium. The piles and foundations is the defence of your team. To be truly world class, your football team needs a rock solid defence. From their building can begin. The main skeletal structure is the midfield. This is the skeleton that defines your team. This is the structure of your team, the structure that allows you to add the final flashy finishes. The roof and all final touches is your attack, your strikers. They look the best, yet cannot exist without a foundation and skeletal structure. In Matthew Booth and Aaron Mokoena, we have a rock solid foundation. Midfielders – the likes of Steven Pienaar, Teko Modise, Siphiwe Tshabalala showed that they are world class in the performance against Brazil. We dominated them at times in midfield! The last facet is still under construction. It is strange how this analogy between our football team and a stadium and the current status of our stadia link up quite well. In Bernard Parker, we have a poacher, someone who can finish – the girders are in place. The cladding is not quite complete however. Despite creating many chances against Brazil – a feat in itself – we failed to take a lot of them. That is the last facet of your world class stadium/team. We need a big man up front. A man who has pedigree, who takes those long balls out of the air and can slam home corners. Bernard Parker is excellent on the ground, but his lack of size is a problem. The cladding of the stadium is, in my opinion, Benni McCarthy. He is playing excellent football in England. He has scored readily against the best and biggest defenders in the world. Through coaching and practice we will become clinical, we just need that second man up front to partner Parker. A man who can hold the ball up, a man from which Parker can feed, a man who can bundle his way into the penalty area, get free-kicks, penalties and score goals from corners. Benni McCarthy is the answer. He has had problems with the national setup, yet, the World Cup is bigger than him or SAFA. The World Cup is the country. If Benni will not play for his country at his own World Cup, probably his last World Cup, then something is really wrong. I believe he wants to play for his country. I believe he is the last cog in world class machine, the cladding on a world class stadium.