Nelson mandela bay Stadium, which will host eight Fifa World Cup matches in 2010, has a unique location: on the shore of a lake and just a few hundred metres from the Indian Ocean. The shimmering white roof of the stadium resembles a sea anemone, a wholly appropriate image in a city that has virtually defined itself by its beachfront and water sports.

The stadium’s unusual roof creates an appearance of lightness because of the use of a membrane made of polytetrafluoroethylene. It derives its strength from 20 000 square metres of aluminium cladding supported by 36 girders and 21km of concrete piles. Architectural Design Associates (ADA) and Dominic Bonnesse Architects (DBA) collaborated on the design, while the lead construction consortium was Grinaker-LTA in a joint venture with Interbeton. Subcontractors included Randcivils, Lightning Protection Services, Steeledale, Service Electrical and EP Scaffolding.

Port Elizabeth, the main city in the Nelson Mandela Bay metropole, has in recent years been the regular host of a variety of international and local water-sport and beach events, ranging from international sailing races and hobiecat championships to beach volleyball and triathlons. Now the Friendly City has a chance to host the world’s greatest international soccer event.

There is huge support for soccer in the Eastern Cape, although professional teams have had only sporadic success at national level. The new stadium should provide a good home base and a steady income for a locally based professional team that can compete in the Professional Soccer League. Running such a soccer team can be a very expensive exercise but, conversely, it can also generate excellent income for the local economy. It would certainly help to balance the books of the stadium if the large crowds that regularly support PSL games could be guaranteed for the months and years that follow the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa’s other major winter sport, rugby, also has a big following among all races in the Eastern Cape. The stadium is designed to be used by several codes, and it is instructive that the first official game to be played on the freshly laid turf was, in fact, a rugby match: a local XV took on the British and Irish Lions in June 2009. The city’s long-standing rugby stadium, the Boet Erasmus Stadium in Summerstrand, is to be closed down. And South African rugby administrators are trying to secure the franchise that will extend the international Super 14 competition to 15 teams. If successful, they intend to base that franchise in Port Elizabeth – a move that will help ensure the stadium’s sustainability.

Location and regeneration
The location of Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium allows for easier access to the venue for the majority of the metropole’s population than had been the case with the old rugby stadium. Unusually, the city did not have to buy the land. That public land was available for such a project is a tribute to the city leaders of more than a hundred years ago: Prince Alfred Park was one of three great city parks that were laid out between 1861 and 1890. In the northern area, the park had become somewhat dilapidated. The stadium’s construction here is sparking urban regeneration.

Another of these parks, St George’s Park, will be the site of the official Fifa fan park. The centrally located park is home to tennis, cricket and bowling clubs, a large public swimming pool, an art gallery and a botanical conservatory, but is best known as a venue for top-flight cricket matches. The St George’s Park fan venue will have seating for 17 500 people in the stands and lots of space on the outfield. Suites in Duck Pond Pavilion are also available.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium’s location on the edge of North End Lake is a considerable advantage. It means that Port Elizabeth will be able to create its own inland waterfront to go along with plans to build a waterfront at the harbour. The latter plan is dependent on an oil-tank farm being relocated to Coega, away from the city centre. All the roads leading to the stadium, and in the immediate vicinity of the facility, are being widened and resurfaced, and verges are being improved.

The water quality of North End Lake is set to be improved and a figure-of-eight cycling and running track through the stadium precinct and around the lake will help the park again accomplish its original mission of being a free space for public recreation. The route of the track will follow the path of the cranes that built the stadium.

Feasibility studies are under way to establish whether North End Beach, near the stadium, can also be rejuvenated. Wave action caused as a knock-on effect of the main Port Elizabeth harbour wall has degraded the beach, but successful steps taken to control sand at Hobie Beach (south of the harbour) have led to speculation that an engineering solution can be found. If the problem is solved, then a good beach near the stadium-lake precinct would add value to the whole area, making it a desirable location with high earning potential for companies operating in the leisure sector.

Legacy
Zwide Stadium and Wolfson Stadium, both in Port Elizabeth, are due to be upgraded to act as training venues for the tournament. This will leave them in better condition for the use of locals when the World Cup is over.

An amount of R26-million was due to be spent by the metropolitan municipality on existing tourist facilities such as the Langa Memorial (a struggle memorial in Uitenhage) and the Donkin Reserve, an iconic space at the top of a hill that overlooks Port Elizabeth’s central business district. At the time of writing it was unclear whether this money was indeed going to be spent, given the effect of the global recession on spending priorities.

Coaching and referee-coaching courses will form part of the legacy of the tournament in the metropole, with soccer being the main beneficiary but courses also being available for officials from other sports such as netball and tennis. An annual beach soccer tournament will become part of the annual Splash Festival, which takes place in Port Elizabeth every Easter holiday. During the same period, three local football-association tournaments will take place.

The national Ministry of Tourism has placed three 2010 visitor information centres (VICs) in Nelson Mandela Bay. The VICs, installed at a cost of R7.5-million, will provide one-stop service to all visitors wanting to know about anything from car hire to game reserves and ticket reservations. They will be linked to other VICs around the country.

Accommodation
A total of 29 000 beds will be needed to accommodate visitors to the city. Hotels such as the five-star Radisson Blu are hoping to secure the bookings of visiting soccer teams and dignitaries. Hotels and guest lodges throughout the metropole are filling up fast with bookings for the event, and even venues such as hostels of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University are sought after. The possibility is also being explored of docking cruise ships in Port Elizabeth harbour to provide extra beds.

Stadium statistics
Cost: R2.1-billion
World Cup fixtures: 8 (six plus 3rd/4th play-off and a quarter-final)
Height: 34m
Roof span: 46m
Seats: 48 459
Roof steel mass: 2 000 tonnes
Area of aluminium metal cladding: 20 000 square metres
Volume of concrete: 31 000 cubic metres
Floodlights: 264
Rooms: 1 015
CCTV cameras: 220
Length of telecommunications cables: 450km
Private suites: 23
Toilets: 74