The Royal Bafokeng Stadium received a major facelift ahead of the Confederations Cup and is now sports world-class facilities.
History of the venue
The stadium is located on the lands of the Royal Bafokeng people, whose moniker was used in naming the ground. The Bafokeng nation has a major stake in the lucrative platinum mining in the region and funded the construction of the original sports complex. The venue appeared on the Local Organising Committee's original list of World Cup venues and will host a number of 2010 matches.
Upgrades
Around R360-million was spent on refurbishing the stadium with Royal Bafokeng Sports Holdings contributing R170-million and the National Treasury paying for the rest.
The capacity of the stadium has been increased by around 4000 through the construction of two rows of seating on the second tier. Electronic scoreboards, new floodlights and an improved public address system are some of the other improvements.
Usage during the World Cup
Four World Cup fixtures have gone to the venue including a last-16 match.
Usage after the World Cup
Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows, Orlando Pirates and Platinum Stars have all utilised the ground in the past as alternate venues. It also hosted the 1999 League Cup (Telkom Knockout in its current incarnation), a 2000 COSAFA Cup game between South Africa and Mauritius and a World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso in 2001. Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars are slated to use the stadium as their home ground in the future.
How to get there
Rustenburg is situated 112km northwest of Johannesburg and OR Tambo international airport on the N4 highway.
Once clear of Pretoria, it's easy enough to drive, so hiring a car is your best option.
There are also bus links from Johannesburg and Pretoria - the airport will provide plenty of info as will your hotel - and there is an airport at Sun City if you've got the cash to splash.
Post A Comment!
Be the first to post a comment on this story