“Cape Town is a wonderful organiser of eight matches and a semi-final for the World Cup”, according to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. At a presentation to the industry this week, Teral Cullen, Director of the 2010 World Cup, City of Cape Town, spoke enthusiastically about how on the ball Cape Town is for 2010. She likened the World Cup to a “tsunami”.
The event is creating a legacy for Cape Town and its citizens, in that it will benefit from an upgraded airport, station, railway carriages, road and transport system, as well as new hotel and event/conference infrastructure worth R 9 billion.
Cullen’s positioning for Cape Town is the “Party Capital of Africa”, and says that the media exposure that Cape Town will receive from the event cannot be bought for any money. She is looking at linking Cape Town, with its world heritage site, to Cairo, with its world wonder, and hopes to increase Cape Town’s desirability as an investment and tourism destination.
The dates for the Cape Town matches have been announced, and many of them fall on weekends, which is favourable for attendance and drawing visitors to the Mother City, says Cullen. The 2010 Cape Town match dates are 8, 11, 14, 18, 21, 24 and 29 June, and 3 and 7 July, the last date being a semi-final.
Construction of the stadium is progressing well, and the roof is expected to be completed in twelve months from now. The stadium completion date is mid-December next year, in time for a visit to Cape Town of 100 broadcasters, in town for the announcement of the final team draw on 4 December 2009. The roof will cover most spectators, and has been designed to reduce the noise to not inconvenience residents close by too much. The 68 000-seater will reduce to 58 000 seats once the World Cup is over.
The stadium management contract has been awarded to Stadia France, which has linked up with Morne du Plessis in its bid to manage the new Cape Town stadium. The company has been highly praised for the fine stadia it manages around the world.
Cullen takes on a new title from October, as a FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa Venue Manager, in charge of all FIFA events in Cape Town for the next two years.
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