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22 January 2020
There will be 14 venues used for matches in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 next month as we take a trip around the grounds to get a feel for their own unique character.
ATHLONE STADIUM
Fixtures: Ajax Cape Town vs TS Sporting (Feb 6, 19h30); Stellenbosch vs Maritzburg United (Feb 7, 20h00); Zizwe United vs Happy Wanderers (Feb 11, 19h30)
About the venue: One of the original football grounds on Cape Town, the Athlone Stadium was due to host matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup until the Cape Town Stadium was built in Greenpoint, and the former converted into a training venue. It will stage three games in five says this year’s Last 32 though and will be a major focus of the early round. It holds 34,000 and is used by a number of Cape Town sides in the PSL, NFD and ABC Motsepe League, either as their home venue or an alternate ground. It has also hosted a final of the Nedbank Cup competition in the past when Santos defeated Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in the 2003 decider. It traditionally has one of the best surfaces in the country, though the drought in Cape Town and frequent use has hit the pitch hard in recent times.
DOBSONVILLE STADIUM
Fixture: Vaal University of Technology vs Lamontville Golden Arrows (Feb 8, 15h00)
About the venue: Originally opened as a stadium in 1975, the Soweto venue had been a playing field for local teams since the 1950s. It was renovated to act as a training ground for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and since then was the home of Moroka Swallows until their relegation to the SAFA structures. It will be used as the home venue for this match by fourth-tier Vaal University of Technology and is also a regular host of local tournaments, having previously staged matches for a number of South African national teams, including Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.
DR PETRUS MOLEMELA STADIUM
Fixture: Bloemfontein Celtic vs AmaZulu (Feb 8, 15h00)
About the venue: The home stadium of Celtic is named after club legend Petrus Molemela, who played a significant role in steering the team
through their glory days in the 1980s. Formerly known as the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium, the venue has an athletics track and holds around 22,000 spectators, many of whom sing and dance their way through Celtic matches, making it one of the great ‘atmosphere’ grounds in South Africa. The stadium was opened in 1982, but underwent major renovations before the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where it was used as a training facility during the tournament. It has also had recent improvements to the pitch and changerooms.
FNB STADIUM
Fixture: Kaizer Chiefs vs Royal Eagles (Feb 8, 18h00)
About the venue: The national stadium in South Africa, the new FNB Stadium was built ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and staged both the opening game and the final, as well as a number of matches in between. The original stadium was opened in 1985 and could hold over 100,000 fans, often packed to capacity for Soweto derbies and cup finals. The record attendance for the stadium in its current guise is 94,807 for a match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in 2015. It is the current home of the AmaKhosi. It hosted the Nedbank Cup final in 2010, but has not staged one since, though that is usually to do with Gauteng clubs being regular visitors to the decider and a neutral venue is needed.
KAMEELRIVIER STADIUM
Fixture: Passion FC vs Real Kings (Feb 8, 15h00)
The Kameelrivier Stadium is the home of Nedbank Cup champions TS Galaxy, though they did not have a single tie in front of their own fans on their way to lifting the trophy last season. The venue will be used in this round by ABC Motsepe League side Passion FC. Kameelrivier is a village of some 20,000 people in the lowveld region of Mpumalanga and has a soccer-mad population that get behind their local teams.
KANYAMAZANE STADIUM
Fixtures: Mbombela United vs Cape Town City (Feb 9, 15h00)
About the venue: A venue that will host a Nedbank Cup fixture for the second year running, KaNyamazane is located around 25-kilometres east of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga province. Formerly known as the Lekazi Stadium, the ground has a capacity of 15,000 and had major renovations ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is the home venue for second-tier side Mbombela United, but has hosted Nedbank Cup matches in the past for the now defunct Mpumalanga Black Aces.
LOFTUS VERSFELD
Fixture: Mamelodi Sundowns vs SuperSport United (Feb 8, 20h15)
About the venue: Loftus was for many years seen as only a rugby venue, but after Mamelodi Sundowns took up residence as well, it has been the scene of some of the great soccer matches in recent times. First built in 1906, it has had various renovations down the years, including ahead of the 2020 FIFA World Cup when it hosted six matches. One of those was Bafana Bafana’s disastrous 3-0 loss to Uruguay. It also hosted games during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and has even been a venue for cricket in the past!
MAKHULONG STADIUM
Fixture: Highlands Park vs Uthongathi (Feb 8, 20h15)
About the venue: The Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa is usually the home ground of Premier League side Highlands Park, but is also occasionally used by Jomo Cosmos. It was Cosmos’ regular home when they featured in the Premier League a few seasons back, which is when it received a major facelift that also saw it used as a training venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The venue holds around 10,000 fans and usually receives good support from the local community, no matter who is playing there.
NELSON MANDELA BAY STADIUM
Fixture: Chippa United vs TS Galaxy (Feb 5, 19h30)
About the venue: The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth was purpose-built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and currently hosts
Chippa United as anchor tenants for football. The Southern Kings PRO14 rugby side also use the venue, but it is predominantly known for football and hosted the 2015 Nedbank Cup final as Mamelodi Sundowns edged Ajax Cape Town on penalties to lift the trophy. The venue hosted eight matches at the World Cup and a further eight at the 2013 African Nations Cup finals and has an official capacity of 48,000. Given the love for football in the Eastern Cape, the venue has also staged various matches of Soweto giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs in the past.
NEW PETER MOKABA STADIUM
Fixture: Polokwane City vs Baroka FC (Feb 11, 19h30)
About the venue: The newer, 2010 FIFA World Cup venue in Polokwane, the Peter Mokaba Stadium played host to the Nedbank Cup final in 2016 when SuperSport United edged Orlando Pirates 3-2. It is the home of both Polokwane City and Baroka FC, though the clubs do also use the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium across the road. With a striking design and a capacity 46,000, it was completed in early 2010, hosting four matches at the World Cup, including France’s 2-0 loss to Mexico. The Peter Mokaba Stadium has been used as an alternate venue by a number of top-flight teams, including Kaizer Chiefs and SuperSport United.
OLEN PARK
Fixture: Jomo Cosmos vs Hungry Lions (Feb 9, 15h00)
About the venue: Olen Park is another venue that was traditionally a rugby stadium, but has become a fixture on the soccer circuit and is currently home to Jomo Cosmos. Built in 1920, it wasn’t until around 20 years later that it started seeing regular top-level action. It’s current capacity it 22,000. The ground is named after Carl Ludwig Theodor Olen, who was president of what was then known as the Western Transvaal Rugby Union between 1922 to 1934.
ORLANDO STADIUM
Fixture: Orlando Pirates vs BidVest Wits (Feb 9, 15h00)
About the venue: One of the jewels in the crown of South Africa’s soccer stadiums, it could almost be regarded as the spiritual home of the sport in the country. Opened in 1959, it had major renovations ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and is the home of Orlando Pirates with a capacity of a little over 37,000. Although known for soccer, it played an important role in the fight against Apartheid as a venue for many gatherings, not without tragedy. There was also a highly symbolic moment when the home of football played host to the 2010 Super Rugby final.
SISA DUKASHE STADIUM
Fixture: Amavarara vs Super Eagles (Feb 8, 15h00)
About the venue: The Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane has taken on more national prominence in recent years after top-flight Chippa United started to use the venue as an alternate to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. It has hosted a number of Nedbank Cup matches in the past, including a semi-final between Chippa and SuperSport United in 2017 that was won on penalties by the latter. Often filled by the football-loving locals, the venue is also used by Eastern Cape ABC Motsepe League side Tornado FC, but on this occasion acts as home for Komani-based Amavarara.
THOHOYANDOU STADIUM
Fixture: Black Leopards vs North West University (Feb 9, 15h00)
About the venue: When full this is one of the most atmospheric stadiums in South Africa, which recently had a number of upgrades to make it fit for purpose for Premier League fixtures. It is the home stadium of top-flight Black Leopards and has a capacity of some 40,000, with many a coach speaking of the difficulty of playing at the venue when the home fans are in full voice. It is the traditional home of Lidoda Duvha, but they did move away for some years before returning in 2014. Thohoyandou is situated some two hours from the Limpopo capital of Polokwane.
*The views represented are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of Nedbank.