#Cape Town Stadium - 55 000 Seats - Green Point, Cape Town | Complete [Part 5]

[Lydon]

Bwahaha Some people have way too much time on their hands.

[MafTownBoy]

Exactly what I thought... Does he really think they are going to knock it down a brand new world class stadium

[annman]

Good on Grant Pascoe for not commenting. That would be like rebutting Ted Bundy on the value of human life. Why are there so many lunatics and people out-of-touch-with-reality out there. I swear, humanity's collective IQ is in a downward spiral.

[NaijaSwag]

Typical attitude of cape tonians thats often display on this forum except for some. Complaining when you have so much, just pathetic! They must have had 6-8 glasses of couvoisier cognac before spitting all that shit.

What is taking so long for the stormers to move into that 600 billion stadium out of that 16th century old newlands, the excitement alone will increase attendance at their games. Its a no brainer hell even the yankees moved from their historic yankee stadium to a new yankee stadium, old wembley to a new wembley.

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by annman

The war-machine against the GPRRA is being constructed. HEHE!

It is. See Inbox.

[Mo Rush]

People stop confusing the issue.

We are talking about a rationalization of the use of Cape Town Stadium i.e. to operate like a normal stadium with shops, a gym, museum, merchandise, AND in the process promote a viable and sustainable urban environment.

Commercialization is ONE aspect of all of this i.e. to ensure that the space in the stadium allocate for restaurant spaces can operate as a restaurant.

We are foregoing R10 million annually for zoning that is illogical, and does not align with other viable stadia or case studies. If GPRRA don't want this, the entire city pays for it and they should instead pay City of CT R10 million annually to avoid this.

That is Part 1.

Part 2 is to consider "innovative" uses over and above the normal operations or a normal international venue.

This would include things like nightclubs, bungee jumping, casinos, and all the uses that are "weird" and need consideration.

The re-zoning also covers ridiculous issues like no ice-cream sellers being allowed in side the GP Park, no traders allowed on the Stadium Podium for the fleamarkets, and other nonsencial red tape.

In some regards they need a liquor permit each and every time a major event happens.

Wake up.

As I have said before, I can forward anybody the rezoning document which highlights the history of this process, and the uses being considered.

[annman]

Why has Cape Town hosted Bafana Bafana just four times in 19 years?
by Inside Politics

FEATURE: Did you know Cape Town has hosted Bafana Bafana just four times in 19 years? That is a fairly remarkable fact. The city is hardly the sporting backwaters. In fact, almost every argument you can come up with against Cape Town hosting the national soccer team does not, on the evidence, appear to hold any weight. To see who has hosted the most games and why Cape Town deserves to see the national team more often, read on.


Why has Cape Town hosted Bafana Bafana just four times in 19 years?

By: Gareth van Onselen


2 July 2012

Introduction

Bafana Bafana have played 116 official matches at home since 1994. Of them, it has played just four in Cape Town. In fact, out of all nine provinces, only the Northern Cape has hosted the national team fewer times than the Western Cape (just once). It’s a curious anomaly. Cape Town boasts large, world-class stadia, it has a big population, its sports events are fanatically attended and its infrastructure, both in terms of tourism and hospitality, is up there with the best; so why does the South African Football Association (SAFA) continue to keep the national football team away from Cape Town?

The facts

Here is a table breaking down all Bafana Bafana’s home matches from 1994 to date, by province:



If you would like to see a full list of each of South Africa’s home matches, click here. The list is based on the full Bafana Bafana match archive, as listed on the SAFA website.

All bow before Gauteng

Gauteng hosts the bulk of South Africa’s matches, with a majority of 51% being played in that province (59 times it has hosted the national team). Then follows, in order: the North West (13 times at 11%); KwaZulu-Natal (13 times at 11%); the Free State (10 times at 9%); the Eastern Cape (eight times at 7%) and only then does the Western Cape feature, along with Mpumalanga and Limpopo (four times each at 3%) – an average of one match every five years.

One response to that fact, although a response based on little more than unfounded bias, might be that Cape Town would struggle to fill a stadium; but, as I suggest, on the evidence that holds no weight.

A history of fanatical support

The last South African international Cape Town hosted was in November 2010, when Bafana Bafana lost 0-1 to the United States. The match was held at Cape Town Stadium and was sold out, all 50 000 available tickets. Before that, at Newlands in 2007 – and even though Bafana Bafana lost 1-3 to Zambia – the match was likewise a sell out. You have to go back to 2003 to find the next time South Africa played an international match in the Western Cape, against Jamaica at Athlone Stadium. Again, the match was sold out. Athlone seats just 30 000 but it certainly demonstrates an appetite for the game, so much so the then-ANC-led administration in the City put out a statement championing the turn out.

Before the United States game Cape Town Mayoral committee member for tourism, events and marketing Grant Pascoe accused SAFA of ignoring Cape Town as a venue for the national team, saying: “Bafana Bafana is a national team and not a regional team. We would really like to see a fair spread of games,” before asking “Why are they depriving these soccer-loving people of a game?”

Good question.

There were rumours Cape Town Stadium would host the South Africa versus Guatemala international friendly on 31 May 2012, but SAFA quickly quashed them, confirming instead the game would be played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, the fourth time it would host Bafana Bafana in eight years.

Newlands: the forgotten soccer stadium

Cape Town Stadium is, of course, new. So there is an argument to be made it cannot be counted historically (although Green Point Stadium did exist before it). Not that this explains away the fact it hasn’t hosted a Bafana Bafana game since the United States (the Moses Mabhida Stadium has already hosted South Africa twice). Regardless, it has the second biggest capacity of all current major South African stadiums, at some 64 000, second only to Soccer City, with around 95 000.

Which leaves Newlands, the third natural Cape Town option. Newlands also boasts one of the biggest capacities in the country, some 52 000. Yet it has hosted only two South Africa matches in 19 years. An argument has been made the pitch isn’t suitable but that too does not seem credible given that Ellis Park (11 matches), Kings Park (nine) and Loftus Versfeld (five) – home to the Lions, Sharks and Bulls rugby teams respectively – have also hosted numerous games over the years.

Alternatively, as we sift through all the possible objections, if the argument is that Bafana Bafana games need to be spread around in the national interest, apart from being self defeating – the Western Cape gets far less than its fair share, given its size – even that doesn’t bear up to scrutiny. Unless one means spread round Gauteng – at least 8 different stadia have hosted the national team in that province. They include Germiston Stadium (three matches, capacity just 18 000), Lucas Moripe Stadium (seven matches, capacity 29 000) and Johannesburg Athletics Stadium (three matches, capacity 37 500). All of them are minor stadiums, compared to say Cape Town Stadium or Newlands, yet they have all hosted three or more games.

Here is a list of all major stadiums used for South Africa’s international football games and the number of times they have hosted the national team:



Some of the country’s most obscure stadia have hosted Bafana Bafana but an entire province seems to have been largely ignored.

Just in terms of sheer numbers, the Cape Town Metro population dwarfs many of the other metros. Its 2.9 million residents are roughly triple the number in Nelson Mandela Bay (1 million, seven games) and four times as big as Mangaung (650 000, ten games). By the time you get to places like Polokwane and Mafikeng the comparisons become silly. If it’s taking football to the people SAFA is interested in, well, there are a lot of them in Cape Town.

So, what’s the reason? I’m not sure, but perhaps it’s time SAFA offered one up. Four games in 19 years certainly seems unreasonable for a major South African and international sporting capital; if not, just unfair.

Not much for Capetonians to look forward to

SAFA recently announced the host cities for AFCON 2013. Guess what? No Cape Town. The games will be hosted in Port Elizabeth (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium), Rustenburg (Royal Bafokeng Stadium), eThekwini (Moses Mabhida Stadium) and Mbombela (Mbombela Stadium). SAFA argued that Cape Town didn’t meet the grading criteria (hard to imagine since it was good enough to host a World Cup semi-final). One of Cape Town’s concerns when bidding was that SAFA expected a host city to subsidise each match it held and yet it would not say exactly at what cost, figures it still has not made available. So, either those four venues were blindly willing to agree to an undisclosed figure or they know something Cape Town does not.

Conclusion

As it so happens, the national team’s performance isn’t helping matters. Attendance at recent games has been low anyway. The Star reported that attendance at its 0-0 draw with Ethiopia, at Royal Bafokeng, was “appalling”; and, in South Africa’s last game, a 3-0 victory over Gabon, the turnout was so bad Mbombela Stadium senior official Ronny Moyo suggested it might even compromise the stadium’s AFCON status, before pleading: “My words of encouragement at this stage would be for our fans to fill Mbombela Stadium when the AFCON games kick off next year. We must also bear in mind that our failure to support games in our backyard will have a negative impact on us in the elite football deals we are currently trying to secure.”

So we are down to begging.

Well, if it is full house SAFA is after, history suggests Cape Town is a good place to start looking. As I have written before, Capetonians love their sport more than most. Of course, the fact the SAFA is willing to play Bafana Bafana at venues that are woefully empty anyway suggests that shouldn’t even be a concern.

But one gets the sense this isn’t about support or equal opportunities, something else is afoot. Time for SAFA to put their cards on the table I say. Why is Cape Town being ignored?

[rubbercenter]

Convert Cape Town stadium to housing – Cosatu

Cape Town Stadium should be converted into low-cost houses, the Western Cape Congress of South African Trade Unions said on Monday.

"Cosatu has had discussions with engineers and architects who feel that it is possible to turn the stadium into low-cost housing for people in Cape Town," provincial leader Tony Ehrenreich said.

"This represents an important opportunity to integrate black and white communities, which we should not miss out on."

The city recently announced it was considering various options to make the R4.5-billion structure in Green Point sustainable.

Maintenance amounted to about R44-million a year, with very few hiring activities taking place due to the cost of using the venue.

One proposal was to convert it into a commercial hub, but this had been met with resistance from residents, who did not want added noise and activity.

Ehrenreich said if public funds were being spent on the stadium, it should benefit the most vulnerable citizens.

"The community of Green Point, who does not want further commercial activities in the stadium, should support the plans to promote the building of affordable housing."

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/art...atu-2012-07-02

[Lydon]

Cosatu really are cooked

[wadeyshady1]

^what??????? i dont see how adding poorer blacks to the greenpoint area is gonna help with integration of blacks and whites?thats only gonna make it worse?lol the only way i see proper integration taking place is maybe if those blacks earned the same amount of money as the other whites in that area?then yeah theyre gonna integrate? i mean the same goes if u wanna mix poor blacks with poor whites that live in the same conditions and earn around the same...then yeah theyre probably gonna integrate?

[ToxicBunny]

*posted the same article in the Housing Western Cape thread*

I think its just an absolute pearler from Tony....

[annman]

"Cosatu has had discussions with engineers and architects who feel that it is possible to turn the stadium into low-cost housing for people in Cape Town," provincial leader Tony Ehrenreich said.

It's also possible to build 50-storey social-housing Skyscrapers in Langa; there's a huge difference between practical and possible Tony. Ai, this guy really grasps at any racial straws to somehow win the votes of ignorant, poorer voters. We should be concentrating on rebuilding District 6 (as a method of reintegration of the city) rather than psycho ideas like this. Yes, I'm sure the poor would feel really comfortable living in a stadium and will be well-served by retail outlets like Melissa's, Louis Vuitton, Woolworths, Jenny Button and Hugo Boss and the affordable restaurants, like Beluga, Wakame, Pigalle and the like. Not to mention the really affordable rates and taxes the value of the area creates.

[wadeyshady1]

i mean surely someone must have put their hand up during a conference where hes brought this up and told him hes ?>"{| stupid?

[Eduan]

Originally Posted by annman

Not to mention the really affordable rates and taxes the value of the area creates.

Well, if this goes through, the entire area will have really affordable rates and taxes before too long!

The Ratepayers Association will surely love this!

[Diggerdog]

What a muppet.
What an absolute shining example of why we are all such fans of the DA!
Not because they are without fault, not because they are perfect - but because the alternative is so pathetic as to not really even offer a choice.

[crazydude]

@Anman, holy crap Batman!

I know I often say that Cape Town is a being a crybaby about being left out, but that is shocking. I get that football is Gauteng-centric, but didn't realise how much. I'm new to following football, so it seems like these days they play mostly in Nelspruit, Rustenburg, Durban. Does CT bid for matches, as Nelspruit hosts a lot of matches these days.

Some of those stadiums listed are holes! It's sad that Bafana have played at places like that. Was attendance always a problem for the team?

One mistake I spotted, PE hosted a Bafana vs Japan friendly in 2009, which didn't make that list. Also, SAFA says that Bafana played Botswana at King Zwelithini Stadium in 2008.

[annman]

Well of course... CT did bid for AFCON, but all concerns and questions were snubbed by SAFA and they proceeded to leave CT out of the hosting.

I was just illustrating that something either weird is going on, or just plain arrogant decision-making. Also wanted to illustrate, that according to the data, Capetonian fans don't snub football and actually, are quite passionate about ALL big sports. So, that whole "CT has fake-footy-fans" and "CT is only a rugby city" is a load of bollocks.

[crazydude]

Originally Posted by annman

Well of course... CT did bid for AFCON, but all concerns and questions were snubbed by SAFA and they proceeded to leave CT out of the hosting.

I was just illustrating that something either weird is going on, or just plain arrogant decision-making. Also wanted to illustrate, that according to the data, Capetonian fans don't snub football and actually, are quite passionate about ALL big sports. So, that whole "CT has fake-footy-fans" and "CT is only a rugby city" is a load of bollocks.

I meant for Bafana matches in general, not the AFCON debacle. As for Cape Town snubbing football, I think it refers more to fans not supporting the CT based teams, though this is a problem in most cities.

[annman]

Not 100% sure, Mo is much more in touch with events the city tries to host. I don't think one can fault the fans for wanting to watch a higher quality of football. If the PSL and Bafana Bafana was up to scratch, then we'd see much bigger crowds. Fans can take a decent even-split of wins and losses, but when the quality of play is constantly a HUGE issue, the fans can't be blamed for being less enthusiastic.

[crazydude]

Originally Posted by annman

Not 100% sure, Mo is much more in touch with events the city tries to host. I don't think one can fault the fans for wanting to watch a higher quality of football. If the PSL and Bafana Bafana was up to scratch, then we'd see much bigger crowds. Fans can take a decent even-split of wins and losses, but when the quality of play is constantly a HUGE issue, the fans can't be blamed for being less enthusiastic.

At a national level, I think that people should always show up. I thought that it was a disgrace at last year's SA vs Ivory Coast match, less than 30 000 people showed up, but some of this year's attendances have been even worse.

I wonder if the low turn outs keep SAFA from using Soccer City. It's meant to be the national stadium, and has hosted the most Bafana matches. Since the 2010 WC, it has hosted only 1 match though.