Free State Stadium
 |
|
| Former names | Vodacom Park |
|---|---|
| Location | Kings Way, Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 29°7′2″S 26°12′32″E / 29.11722°S 26.20889°ECoordinates: 29°7′2″S 26°12′32″E / 29.11722°S 26.20889°E |
| Operator | Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality |
| Capacity | 46,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1995 |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Renovated | 2008 |
| Expanded | 2007 |
| Tenants | |
|
Central Cheetahs Free State Cheetahs Bloemfontein Celtic 2010 FIFA World Cup |
|
The Free State Stadium (Afrikaans: Vrystaatstadion), currently known as the Toyota Stadium for sponsorship reasons and formerly known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and also sometimes for association football. It was originally built for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and was one of the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The primary rugby union tenants of the facility are:
The primary association football tenant is:
The stadium was one of the host venues for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It hosted first round matches in Pool C during the tournament.
The Free State Stadium was one of venues used for the 1996 African Cup of Nations. It hosted six group matches and a quarter-final match:
The Free State Stadium was one of the host venues for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
In advance of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a second tier was added to the main grandstand on the western side of the ground, increasing the net capacity from 36,538 to 40,911. Additionally, new turnstiles were created, the floodlights upgraded, electronic scoreboards installed, the sound system revamped to the required standards, and CCTV and media facilities improved.
Bloemfontein received R221 million to upgrade the stadium. Though cost estimates were at R245 million, the city decided to stand in for the R24m shortfall. Tenders were advertised in February & March 2007. Upgrade work started in July 2007.
...
Wikipedia