SPEECH BY HELEN ZILLE
MAYOR OF CAPE TOWN
SOD-TURNING EVENT FOR THE LAYING OF ATHLONE STADIUM PITCH
25 MARCH 2009, 12H00 – ATHLONE STADIUM
City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Members
City Councillors and Officials
Members of the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup Local Organising Committee
Representatives of Santos, Goolam Allie and Edries Burtan
Representatives of Ajax CT, George and John Comitis
Representative of SAFA Western Cape, Songezo Nayo
Performing artists
Ladies and gentlemen
Today we mark the laying of a new pitch for Athlone Stadium ahead of the FIFA 2010 Soccer
World Cup.
The replacement of the grass pitch, which has been used for many years by Cape Town’s
leading soccer clubs, including Ajax and Santos, is part of a R400 million programme to
upgrade this important venue.
The facelift is aimed at raising it to the standard required for a 2010 World Cup training
facility.
The Athlone Stadium and the Phillippi sports grounds have been proposed as official Host
City training venues, known as Venue Specific Training Sites for 2010. Because the world’s
leading teams will be using these venues for their World Cup preparations, FIFA has issued a
list of minimum requirements.
These requirements are very specific and detailed.
To lay the pitch, we have to do laboratory tests on the soil, water and plant material, and a
scientific fertiliser programme will be introduced.
Improvements include laser levelling of the pitch, resetting the irrigation system and
monitoring the drainage.
The new pitch will consist of two different species of grass - a kikuyu base (warm season
turf), and rye (cool season turf) to ensure that teams can play throughout the year.
It is expected to be ready for play by August this year, in time for the start of the Premier
Soccer League season.
The rye seeding will be done in March 2010, four months before the World Cup gets
underway in June 2010.
Of course, as any farmer will tell you, we are at the mercy of nature’s forces, and so must be
prepared for any eventuality.
That is why we have started this process as early as possible. The tender for all of this work
has been awarded, and we are ready to get going.
Meanwhile work is also continuing on the installation of the roof for the World Cup stadium
at Green Point. The contractors are due to hand over the completed 68 000-seat stadium to the
City of Cape Town on December 14, a full six months before kick-off.
Like so many of the investments we are making ahead of 2010, the improvements we are
carrying out on the Athlone Stadium will continue to benefit our citizens long after the event
has finished.
Since it was constructed in 1972, this venue has come to be known as the traditional home of
soccer in the Western Cape.
Together with the new Green Point Stadium, I hope that the renovated Athlone Stadium will
encourage our local soccer fraternity in their efforts to make Cape Town a leading force in
South African and African soccer.
The City of Cape Town is committed to providing the infrastructure and services our sports
community need to train and compete with the best.
I would like to wish them well in making the best possible use of these resources to realise
their aspirations.
I would also like to thank Ajax, Santos, SAFA, the Minstrel organisations and various other
bodies for working with us and using alternative venues while we improve Athlone Stadium.
I understand that Ajax and Santos will be using Newlands Rugby grounds while the work is
done.
And the Minstrels have had to make alternative arrangements for both their traditional venues
of Athlone and Green Point Stadium.
Finally, I would like to thank the City’s 2010 team and our Sports and Recreation department
for their ongoing work to meet the tight deadlines that we have been chasing ever since Cape
Town was chosen as a host city. I wish you all the best with the rest of the work on the
training and match venues, and with the various other preparations that are too numerous to
mention here.
I thank you.