National Stadium (Uganda)
| Namboole Stadium | |
| Full name | Mandela National Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Namboole National Stadium |
| Location |
Bweyogerere Kira Municipality Central Region Uganda |
| Capacity | 45,202 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Construction cost | US$36 Million |
| Main contractors | Chinese construction company |
| Tenants | |
|
The Cranes SC Victoria University |
|
| Website | |
| Homepage | |
Mandela National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Uganda. It is named after the South African icon, Nelson Mandela.
The stadium is located on Namboole Hill in Bweyogerere Ward, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District. The stadium is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), by road, east of the central business district of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. The coordinates of Mandela National Stadium are:0°20'52.0"N, 32°39'33.0"E (Latitude:0.347778; Longitude:32.659167).
Mandela National Stadium is mainly used for soccer matches, although other sports such as athletics are also practised. The stadium has a seating capacity of 45,202. The stadium is home to the Uganda national football team, known as the Uganda Cranes.
A committee of the Ugandan parliament reported in 2015 that the stadium was on the verge of financial collapse, claiming that the stadium had suffered from more than a decade of "mismanagement and wanton abuse" and incurred losses totaling UGX:3.6 billion. Running the stadium profitably in a private-public partnership arrangement remains a challenge.
The stadium was built with a grant of US$36 million from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Originally it was called Namboole Stadium, getting its name from the hill on which it was built. It is now officially called Mandela National Stadium, named after the former South African president, Nelson Mandela. It was opened in 1997 with a concert by Lucky Dube, a reggae artist from South Africa. The stadium was refurbished in 2010-11, with a US$2.8 million grant from the PRC.
Coordinates: 00°20′51″N 32°39′31″E / 0.34750°N 32.65861°E
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Wikipedia