National News
Mbombela white elephant?
2010-07-12 19:04
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Nelspruit - Mpumalanga soccer or rugby teams have yet shown interest in using the R1.4bn Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The 43 500-seater stadium, which cost the province an additional R350m to host only four World Cup matches, is owned by the Mbombela Local Municipality.
The municipality hasn't reached out to local sports teams yet either.
“No team has yet been approached to make the stadium its home base, and this matter will be dealt with when the business model is finalised,” said interim manager for the stadium, Roelf Kotze, on Monday.
The major soccer team in the province is the Mpumalanga Black Aces, which is the only provincial team in the Premier Soccer League.
The major rugby team is the Pumas.
Kotze said the pitch is suitable for soccer and rugby matches and has the same dimensions as the pitch at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, where the Super 14 Final Rugby Match was played recently. Kotze said organisers of other events had, however, shown interest in using the stadium.
Commonwealth Conference
He said the Mpumalanga Government will host the Commonwealth Conference at the stadium from July 21 to 27, while prominent businessman Robert Gumede will host the annual Gijima Family Event there on the weekend of August 6 to 8.
The stadium's facilities include an auditorium that can hold 160 people, a 700m² office for rent, a 1 200m² club suite with conference-style seating for 800 people, an 800m² restaurant with conference-style seating for 600 people, and a 600m² presidential suite that seats 450 people.
There are also 27 suites that could be used as breakaway rooms that can seat 24 people each.
Kotze said the operational costs for the stadium, such as electricity, water, pitch and building maintenance, staff costs, waste removal, security and insurance, are being refined based on information obtained during the last six weeks when it first became operational.
The Mbombela Local Municipality is expected to determine the most appropriate operational model after considering all options, Kotze said.
The stadium needed to be commercially sustainable, while still being accessible to the community. He said potential income sources for the stadium include naming rights, advertising boards, suite sales, season tickets, suit rental, sport events, commercial events and concerts.
During the World Cup, Platinum Sport Consulting managed the stadium and is presently helping the municipality develop an operational model.
Node of activities
A core staff will manage the facility on a daily basis and will include a manager, marketing and general office and maintenance staff and pitch maintenance staff.
Kotze said additional staff would be brought in as stewards, security and to provide food and beverages during events.
As the wider precinct is developed, it is expected to complement the stadium.
"The land is ready for development and the next step would be to establish a master plan for development that would provide a basis in terms of which specific types of development could be attracted to the area," said Kotze. "Specific zonings have been allocated to the various pockets of land and it is the intention to create a node of activities that would complement the stadium."
The stadium restaurant was specifically designed to be used as a hospitality area as was the case during the World Cup and the game between Bafana Bafana and Thailand.
“The possibility, however, exists that the area could be converted to a private restaurant area. This aspect will be dealt with as part of the business model,” said Kotze.
