Mbombela Stadium
Encyclopedia
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 has the same name as Nelspruit's new name. In October 2009, Nelspruit was officially renamed Mbombela by the South African government. However, FIFA's 2010 World Cup web site refers to the city as "Nelspruit."
The stadium is the centrepiece of a proposed wider sports precinct with athletics
and cricket
as well as other sporting codes.
The R1,050-million sports facility was ready for use well ahead of the June 2010 World Cup kickoff. The stadium was made possible through taxpayer funding.
The multi-purpose stadium
, which is expected to host key soccer and rugby
matches, is also equipped with conference facilities.
n–French
consortium
of Basil Read Construction and Bouygues Construction.
The structure is founded on 1,500 piles
on a 10m structural grid. Each roof support (in the shape of a giraffe) sits on 18 piles on the 30m major structural bay. The 10m span seating beams
are prestressed
and most of the 3,170 units were pre-cast on site.
The project was subjected to numerous wildcat strikes. With the 5th and final strike, all main contract labourers were dismissed. All subsequent work was performed by subcontractor
s.
During a freak storm in January 2009, a tower crane blew over and cut through the partially completed roof. The site was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries. The construction required a total of 5.5 million man-hours to complete.
The site accident history
was exceptionally safe with the worst injury being a broken ankle. A record was set of 2.4 million consecutive injury-free hours.
. The signature feature of the stadium are the 18 roof supports that resemble giraffes. The seats are patterned with zebra stripes. Visitors to the venue can easily add on a side-trip to the game reserve.
roof.
The seating is divided into 3 tiers with 21,000 lower tier, 3,500 middle tier and 19,000 on the upper tier. The upper tier is accessed by 8 wide ramps located on the corners. The ramps accommodates small delivery vehicles. The middle tier, which is accessed by elevators, has premium seating with a VIP lounge, restaurant, club lounges and 25 private boxes.
artificial turf fibres which anchor the field, creating what is essentially a semi-synthetic pitch for a stable and a level grass surface.
The pitch was the cause of great concern and some ridicule 5 months before the World Cup, but its perfect performance in its first real test on 16 May 2010 silenced the critics.
The structure is a propped cantilever on a 30m module with the steel towers for the tension rods doubling as symbolic giraffe necks. The floor of the service catwalk is 100mm thick concrete as ballast to resist wind uplift.
In addition, as with many other South African stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup, promises of improvements to the impoverished surrounding neighborhood have not been fulfilled. Students from the local primary and high schools had to be relocated to container classrooms and the old schools used by the General Contractor. To make way for a replacement school, a wetland in Nelspruit was bulldozed, but no environmental impact assessment was done before the wetland was destroyed. It took multiple violent protests to get the authorities to finally build the new schools 3 years after they were promised.
and Thailand
. South Africa won 4–0, leading 3–0 at half time.
The stadium was again used by South Africa when they beat Niger
2–0 on 4 September 2010, in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
On 14 November 2010, the stadium hosted its first Premier Soccer League
match. Wits have moved their match against Mamelodi Sundowns to the stadium.
are the main rugby
tenants. They will play all Currie Cup
matches at the stadium, while most Vodacom Cup
matches will be played at Puma Stadium.
The stadium held its first rugby
match on 27 August 2010. The Pumas
hosted the Blue Bulls
in a 2010 Currie Cup match
. Pumas won 22–21, trailing 10–11 at half time.
The Pumas made use of the stadium again, when they hosted Western Province
on 17 September 2010. Western Province won the match 62-10.
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
, 40,929-seat stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
and was one of the ten venues for the FIFA World Cup 2010. It is located on open land six kilometres west of Nelspruit
Nelspruit
Nelspruit is a city of more than 500,000 people situated in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province . Located on the Crocodile River, Nelspruit lies about west of the Mozambique border and east of Johannesburg. The towns of Nelspruit are Kanyamazane and Pienaar...
, 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...
, the capital of the Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
province.
The stadium has the same name as Nelspruit's new name. In October 2009, Nelspruit was officially renamed Mbombela by the South African government. However, FIFA's 2010 World Cup web site refers to the city as "Nelspruit."
The stadium is the centrepiece of a proposed wider sports precinct with athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
as well as other sporting codes.
The R1,050-million sports facility was ready for use well ahead of the June 2010 World Cup kickoff. The stadium was made possible through taxpayer funding.
The multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
, which is expected to host key soccer and rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
matches, is also equipped with conference facilities.
Construction
Construction commenced in February 2007 and was completed in November 2009. The construction contract was awarded to a South AfricaSouth 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...
n–French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of Basil Read Construction and Bouygues Construction.
The structure is founded on 1,500 piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
on a 10m structural grid. Each roof support (in the shape of a giraffe) sits on 18 piles on the 30m major structural bay. The 10m span seating beams
Beam (structure)
A beam is a horizontal structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview...
are prestressed
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
and most of the 3,170 units were pre-cast on site.
The project was subjected to numerous wildcat strikes. With the 5th and final strike, all main contract labourers were dismissed. All subsequent work was performed by subcontractor
Subcontractor
A subcontractor is an individual or in many cases a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract....
s.
During a freak storm in January 2009, a tower crane blew over and cut through the partially completed roof. The site was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries. The construction required a total of 5.5 million man-hours to complete.
The site accident history
Construction site safety
Construction is the most dangerous land-based work sector in Europe, after the fishing industry. In the European Union, the fatal accident rate is nearly 13 workers per 100,000 as against 5 per 100,000 for the all sector average ....
was exceptionally safe with the worst injury being a broken ankle. A record was set of 2.4 million consecutive injury-free hours.
Design
The stadium design reflects its inter-relation with the nearby Kruger National ParkKruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...
. The signature feature of the stadium are the 18 roof supports that resemble giraffes. The seats are patterned with zebra stripes. Visitors to the venue can easily add on a side-trip to the game reserve.
Seating
The bowl design aimed to put every seat as close as practical to the field action and maintain excellent sightlines over the heads of spectators. This venue is the most compact arena of all 2010 venues. Most seats are covered by the cantileverCantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
roof.
The seating is divided into 3 tiers with 21,000 lower tier, 3,500 middle tier and 19,000 on the upper tier. The upper tier is accessed by 8 wide ramps located on the corners. The ramps accommodates small delivery vehicles. The middle tier, which is accessed by elevators, has premium seating with a VIP lounge, restaurant, club lounges and 25 private boxes.
Pitch
The pitch is sized for association football(105x68m). It is floodlit to 2,200 lux to meet FIFA requirements. The stadium will be used intensely for training and matches. The cool season rye grass pitch grown from seed is reinforced with Desso GrassMasterDesso GrassMaster
Desso GrassMaster is a sports playing field surface composed of natural grass combined with artificial fibres. The artificial grass fibres are injected deep, and cover about 3% of the surface. While the grass is growing, the roots intertwine with the artificial fibres...
artificial turf fibres which anchor the field, creating what is essentially a semi-synthetic pitch for a stable and a level grass surface.
The pitch was the cause of great concern and some ridicule 5 months before the World Cup, but its perfect performance in its first real test on 16 May 2010 silenced the critics.
Roof
The 1,450 tonne roof covers an area of 22,500 square metres and 94% of the seats. The roof is 35m above the pitch. Half of the roof is translucent to maximise sunlight to the pitch and to lighten the seating bowl. The roof appears to float above the top of the seating bowl with a 8m gap to provide ventilation in the hot climate and also to provide views to the surrounding hills from the seats.The structure is a propped cantilever on a 30m module with the steel towers for the tension rods doubling as symbolic giraffe necks. The floor of the service catwalk is 100mm thick concrete as ballast to resist wind uplift.
Controversies and Corruption
Allegations of corruption relating to the awarding of construction contracts in the building of the stadium have plagued the project. At least three individuals were murdered in connection with the allegations, and another three have died under mysterious circumstances. Corruption related to the construction resulted in the provincial government taking over the running of the municipaility and construction management by placing it under administration in June 2007. When the Mbombela municipality was reinstated 5 months later the outspoken new mayor also received death threats warning him to remain silent about the evidence of corruption.In addition, as with many other South African stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup, promises of improvements to the impoverished surrounding neighborhood have not been fulfilled. Students from the local primary and high schools had to be relocated to container classrooms and the old schools used by the General Contractor. To make way for a replacement school, a wetland in Nelspruit was bulldozed, but no environmental impact assessment was done before the wetland was destroyed. It took multiple violent protests to get the authorities to finally build the new schools 3 years after they were promised.
2010 FIFA World Cup
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-16 | 13.30 |  Honduras HondurasHonduras national football team The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras... |
0–1 |  Chile 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... |
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.... |
32,664 |
| 2010-06-20 | 16.00 |  Italy ItalyItaly national football team The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than... |
1–1 |  New Zealand New Zealand |
Group F 2010 FIFA World Cup Group F Group F of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 14 June 2010 and ended on 24 June 2010. The group consisted of reigning World Cup holders Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. Italy previously met Paraguay in 1950, in which Italy defeated Paraguay 2–0; neither qualified for the next round.Paraguay... |
38,229 |
| 2010-06-23 | 20.30 |  Australia Australia |
2–1 | 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.... |
37,836 |
| 2010-06-25 | 16.00 |  North Korea Korea DPRKorea DPR national football team The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a... |
0–3 |  Côte d'Ivoire 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... |
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.... |
34,763 |
Football (soccer)
On 16 May 2010, the stadium was officially opened with an international friendly match between South AfricaSouth 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 Thailand
Thailand national football team
The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international football competition and is governed by the Football Association of Thailand. The team has a history of success in Southeast Asian competition, with three ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast...
. South Africa won 4–0, leading 3–0 at half time.
The stadium was again used by South Africa when they beat Niger
Niger national football team
The Niger national football team, nicknamed the Menas, is overseen by the Fédération Nigerienne de Football and a member of CAF. Niger plays in the colors of the Flag of Niger, white, green, and orange...
2–0 on 4 September 2010, in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
On 14 November 2010, 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...
match. Wits have moved their match against Mamelodi Sundowns to the stadium.
Rugby at the Stadium
The PumasPumas (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...
are the main rugby
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...
tenants. They will play all 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...
matches at the stadium, while most 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 Puma Stadium.
The stadium held its first rugby
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...
match on 27 August 2010. 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...
hosted the Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
in a 2010 Currie Cup match
2010 Currie Cup Premier Division
-Fixtures and results:* Fixtures are subject to change.* All times are South African .-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:...
. Pumas won 22–21, trailing 10–11 at half time.
The Pumas made use of the stadium again, when they hosted Western Province
Western Province (rugby team)
DHL Western Province is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The team has won the Currie Cup on 32 occasions and has the most supporters of any Currie Cup team...
on 17 September 2010. Western Province won the match 62-10.
See also
- FIFAFIFAThe 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...
- FIFA Men's World RankingsFIFA World RankingsThe FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
- FIFA Women's World CupFIFA Women's World CupThe FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
- FIFA Women's World RankingsFIFA Women's World RankingsThe FIFA Women's World Rankings for football were introduced in 2003, with the first rankings published in March of that year, as a follow-on to the existing FIFA World Rankings for men...
- List of stadiums in South Africa
- South Africa national football teamSouth Africa national football teamThe 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...