by TRAVIS CLARK
DURBAN, South Africa — The arch over Moses Mobhida Stadium is already an iconic staple to the Durban skyline. One of the brand-new stadiums built for the World Cup, the locals nearby claim that it is the most impressive of the bunch.
As of December, there is still work to do on the stadium, despite the fact the entire structure is complete and has held a competitive match. Of the tasks remaining, the most important is the seating expansion projects. During the World Cup, Moses Mobhida will hold 70,000+ fans, thanks to temporary stands set up above the highest permanent tier.
Designed as a multi-use facility, the oval pitch is a stark contrast to most soccer stadiums around the world. This is to ensure future use for cricket matches, both domestic and international, as well as rugby and soccer matches. . For R3.1 billion, the people of Durban are making sure that they get their money's worth out of it.
Inside, the seats paint a symbolic picture of the surrounding area. Durban is known as a beach destination within South Africa, with the blue seats representing the ocean and the brown and white symbolic of the land. Cultural decorations adorn the interior of the stadium as well.
Surrounding Moses Mobhida is the city of Durban. Home to an estimated 3.5 million people, the city is generally regarded as the largest port in all of Africa. With an added centerpiece thanks to the stadium, the structure was designed to have a long-lasting impact on tourism.
The arch over the stadium has a cable car that reaches a look-out platform available on one side, and for the more adventurous, a 550-stair climb up to the same spot — though walkers will be harnessed in. To cap it off, paying visitors will be able to bungee jump and swing over the pitch.
Seven matches are scheduled to take place in Duban — five group matches and two in the knockout. Two of the bigger billings are Brazil vs. Portugal and Australia vs. Germany. Fans of all nations were certainly come away from this stadium impressed.
Moses Mabhida Stadium is a world-class facility, and has local workers confident about producing the most money after the World Cup of all the new stadiums. Between the cricket, rugby and soccer matches that will take place, not to mention the arch-related activities, the new facility should do just fine.
Don’t be fooled. It looks nice but has by far the worst viewing distances/sightlines of any of the venues. Fans are a mile from the action.
Ironic that a stadium named after the former head of the South African Communist Party was built for the most capitalist sporting event on Earth.
Wow. That is an absolutely gorgeous stadium.
HOLY MOSES! hehehe
sounds like a press release…
That’s a beautiful piece of art right there. Stadium looks great.
Bungee jump and swing over the pitch. That should end well….
Is the stadium knowledge you are getting now going to give you a competitive advantage on your offshore wagers during the World Cup or something? I won’t remember any of the specifics from this article in 8 months. I find the stadium information great. I can look up who is playing on them in multiple locations but the stadium details are pretty unique and something I haven’t seen elsewhere.
Durban has the largest Indian population of any city outside of India so there should be plenty of demand for cricket matches. When the IPL (India Premier League that had to play away from India this year because of security concerns) played in South Africa this year 17 of the matches were played in Durban. This venue I would guess could become the premier cricket venue in South Africa.
An idea for this series: A list of all matches scheduled for each stadium for every entry. It’d help me remember them if I happen to catch a random game next summer, and it’d really help me (and, I assume, others) use/apply the research presented here. Just a thought.
Pretty interesting. Thanks.
>>Fans of all nations were certainly come away from this stadium impressed.<<
I ran this through a language translator to no avail.
@ Travis — Thanks for the piece. Really enjoyable. Sounds like a great bit of engineering has solved the Gordian knot — how to have a stadium large enough to accommodate the Soccer World Cup, but small enough to suit the smaller demands the stadium will fill later on. Still wishing I could afford the trip this time. There’s always the big MegaMilllions jackpot on Friday…
Same back at ya.
Whatevs