Mandela National Stadium

Mandela National Stadium
Namboole Stadium
Full name Mandela National Stadium
Former names Namboole National Stadium
Location Bweyogerere
Kira Municipality
Central Region
Uganda
Capacity 45,202[1]
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened 1997[1]
Construction cost US$36 Million[1]
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.[2]

Location

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.[3] The coordinates of Mandela National Stadium are:0°20'52.0"N, 32°39'33.0"E (Latitude:0.347778; Longitude:32.659167).[4]

Overview

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.[1] The stadium is home to the Uganda national football team, known as the Uganda Cranes.[5]

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.[6] Running the stadium profitably in a private-public partnership arrangement remains a challenge.[7]

History

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.[1] The stadium was refurbished in 2010-11, with a US$2.8 million grant from the PRC.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Stadiumdb.com (26 October 2016). "Nelson Mandela National Stadium (Namboole)". Stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Bakama, James (7 December 2013). "Ugandan sports will miss Mandela". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Globefeed.com (26 October 2016). "Distance between Kampala Road, Kampala, Uganda and Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, Central Region, Uganda". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  4. ↑ Google (26 October 2016). "Location of Mandela Natinal Stadium, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Pictorial: The Historical Day At Namboole As Uganda Cranes Qualified For AFCON 2017 In Gabon". The Red Pepper Newspaper. Mukono. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Mwesigwa, Alon (27 May 2015). "Mandela Stadium at the edge of collapse". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Igasira, Neville (1 December 2013). "The woes of running a multi-sports stadium". East African Business Week. Kampala. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Bakama, James (1 August 2010). "Mandela stadium facelift commences". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 26 October 2016.

Coordinates: 00°20′51″N 32°39′31″E / 0.34750°N 32.65861°E / 0.34750; 32.65861

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