Ellis Park Stadium

City: Johannesburg

Built: 1928

Reopened following upgrade: June 2005

Proposed 2010 Capacity: 70,000 (currently 60,000)

Distance from city centre: 3km

Ellis Park is a world class sporting venue. Home to the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, this is where South Africa beat New Zealand during extra time in what was probably one of the most thrilling rugby matches ever.

Ellis Park is a major football venue in South Africa. It has been proposed as a semi-final venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but will have to undergo some renovations to fullfill all the FIFA requirements. New upper tiers will have to be constructed behind each goal, adding an extra 10,000 seats and bringing the seating capacity to 70,000. Ellis Park will then meet every requirement to be accepted as a venue for one of the semi-final matches.

Today Ellis Park is home to the Lions, the Cats, Kaizer Chiefs Football Club and is also the premier concert venue in South Africa.

Manchester United and Arsenal are two major clubs to have graced the turf, and the stadium has hosted South Africa's national team on many celebrated occasions.

History of Ellis Park Stadium

Ellis Park, named after Mr JD Ellis, was first built on 13 acres of land in 1928. The cost of the grass was quoted at £600 and a loan from the city council to the amount of £5,000 was granted. The stadium was built in eight months and in June 1928 the first rugby test was played against the All-Blacks. Crowds of between 38,000 and a record crowd of 100,000 against the British Lions (in 1955) attended the matches.

On 28 April 1969 a stadium committee investigated the possibility of a new stadium since the one in use did not meet all the modern requirements. Only fifteen years later the old Ellis Park was demolished and a new one was built.

In 1984 Ellis Park Stadium was placed under the management of a trust. In 1987 after the Ellis Park Stadium was listed on the stock exchange and due to sound financial management, Ellis Park could announce that the debt (from the construction) to the amount of R53 million was fully paid and a further 86 suites could be erected.

Today the Golden Lions Rugby Union and Ellis Park Stadium (Pty) Ltd are debt free and have cash resources of more than all the other Unions and SARFU combined as well as borrowing powers of a similar amount.

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