Botswana National Stadium
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The Botswana National Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
in
Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...
,
Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
. It is currently used mostly for
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
matches. The stadium holds 25,000 people.


Overview

The pitch is surrounded by an
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...
track, the stadium is coupled with a
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
venue, which has fallen into disuse, and a
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
facility. The stadium was made up of a total of 10 stands, three of which are covered. The three large stands on each end of the stadium made up the north and south ends. The west side of the stadium is made up of three covered stands, while the east end is made up of one giant uncovered stand. After the 2016 renovations, the 3 north stands were joined together. The same was done for the 3 south stands, increasing the stadium capacity by 3 000 seats from 22 000 to 25 000. From 22 to 31 May 2014, the stadium hosted the 2nd African Youth Games, Gaborone 2014 opening and closing ceremonies as well as the track and field events. A giant screen was erected on the middle north stand in August 2014. The stadium is home to the
Botswana national football team The Botswana national football team was founded in 1970 to represent Botswana in association football and is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). It qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. History It took part in its fi ...
, the Zebras. It is also currently home to
Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...
based
Botswana Premier League The Botswana Premier League, currently known as the BTC Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level football league in Botswana. Organised by the Botswana Football Association, the league was formed in 1978 to replace the pre-inde ...
clubs
Township Rollers F.C. Township Rollers Football Club is a football club based in Gaborone, Botswana. Rollers are also known as Popa, The Blues or Tse Tala, the official nicknames of the club. The club is also often referred to as Mapalastina, a nickname that develope ...
, Gaborone United S.C. and Notwane F.C.
Mochudi Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of 44,815 people in 2011. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about northeast of Gaborone. The village lies several kilometres from the main G ...
side,
Mochudi Centre Chiefs SC Mochudi Centre Chiefs Sporting Club are a professional football club based in Gaborone, Botswana, who play in the Botswana first division following their relegation from the Premier League in 2019. Centre Chiefs have won the Botswana Premier Leag ...
also uses the ground as their home base. Apart from sports, the stadium also hosts other events like Botswana Police Service Day and Botswana Defense Force Day, as well as Botswana Independence Celebrations. Music festivals and church services are also held at this multi-use facility.


Renovation of the National Stadium

Hitecon construction company won the tender to renovate the stadium. The purpose for renovating the National Stadium was for
Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
to accommodate some teams that were competing in the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
. The tournament was held in neighboring
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. In 2008 the national stadium was closed for refurbishment with the hope that it would be used for the 2010 World Cup as a training camp for teams competing in it. This never materialized as the teams were instructed to train inside South Africa, and the stadium renovations were behind schedule."Botswana: Pitch-Work Delays National Stadium Upgrade" (allafrica.com)
/ref> Since its closure in 2008, the stadium had turned into a
white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...
as it couldn't be used for sporting activities. The Premier League and athletics were among the sports that were most affected by the unavailability of the stadium. The premier league teams which rely mostly on gate takings were hard hit as they used sadist around Gaborone which are much smaller and cannot accommodate teams with large followings, thus limiting their revenue. In June 2013, the stadium was finally handed over to the BNSC after being closed for about five years. It hosted its first activity in August 2013, where
Township Rollers F.C. Township Rollers Football Club is a football club based in Gaborone, Botswana. Rollers are also known as Popa, The Blues or Tse Tala, the official nicknames of the club. The club is also often referred to as Mapalastina, a nickname that develope ...
hosted rivals
Extension Gunners Extension Gunners FC is a football club based in Lobatse, Botswana. The team plays in the Botswana Premier League. They play at the Lobatse Sports Complex. History The club was founded in 1962 in the town of Lobatse as the Lobatse CS Gunners. It ...
in the opening match of the 2013/14
Botswana Premier League The Botswana Premier League, currently known as the BTC Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level football league in Botswana. Organised by the Botswana Football Association, the league was formed in 1978 to replace the pre-inde ...
season. Gunners went on to win 1–0. In 2016, the stadium was closed again to increase its capacity to 25 000 in anticipation of the country's 50th independence celebrations on 30 September 2016. The National Stadium is currently open and continues to host various sporting and non-sporting events.


References


External links


Photos
a
worldstadiums.com
a
fussballtempel.net
{{coord, 24, 39, 24.48, S, 25, 55, 58.41, E, region:BW_type:landmark, display=title Football venues in Gaborone National stadiums Multi-purpose stadiums in Botswana