Loftus Versfeld
|
|
| Former names | Minolta Loftus, Securicor Loftus |
|---|---|
| Location | 440 Kirkness Street, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 25°45′12″S 28°13′22″E / 25.75333°S 28.22278°ECoordinates: 25°45′12″S 28°13′22″E / 25.75333°S 28.22278°E |
| Owner | Blue Bulls Rugby Union |
| Capacity | 51,762 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1906 |
| Opened | 1923 |
| Renovated | 1977 |
| Expanded | 2008 |
| Tenants | |
|
Blue Bulls (Currie Cup) Bulls (Super Rugby) Mamelodi Sundowns (PSL) |
|
Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and soccer stadium situated in the Arcadia suburb of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and it is occasionally used for football matches.
Owned by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, the stadium is the home ground of the Bulls franchise of the Super Rugby tournament and the Blue Bulls union in South Africa's Currie Cup. It also hosted the 2009 Super 14 Final which the Bulls won 61 - 17 against the Waikato Chiefs, and the 2009 Currie Cup final, which the Bulls went on to win 36 - 24 against the Free State Cheetahs.
Also, the South Africa national rugby union team has played several test matches at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. They played New Zealand in 1970, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2006, Australia in 1967, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2012, England in 1994, 2000 and 2007, and Ireland in 1998.
In June 2010, the stadium hosted opening round games and one game of the round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The stadium was named after Robert Loftus Owen Versfeld, the founder of organized sports in Pretoria. Through the years the stadium has undergone various name changes as sponsors came and went, though locals have always referred to the stadium as Loftus Versfeld. From 11 June 1998 to 4 February 2003 the stadium was officially named Minolta Loftus after Minolta became the stadium's name sponsor. Sponsorship was taken over by security giant Securicor, who announced the name Securicor Loftus on 5 February 2003. On 1 September 2005 the renaming process went full circle when cellular provider Vodacom, taking over sponsorship from Securicor, renamed the stadium back to the original Loftus Versfeld.
...
Wikipedia