The 2010 World Cup left a strong stadium legacy across the country that has been impressively maintained, over the almost 15 years since the tournament was hosted in South Africa.
It is with much pride that the country can point to the superb condition that the stadia built for the showpiece event remain in … and the fact that they are in regular use, in contrast to what has happened to some infra structure built for similar sporting extravaganzas elsewhere in the world.
World football’s governing body Fifa put much emphasis for the 2010 event on the pitch conditions, for the first time employing international consultants to ensure they were of the best possible quality.
Even the pitches at the training venues had to be of the same standard to train on and when the Fifa circus left after the tournament, the country had a brilliant array of world class facilities.
Pristine pitches ensure much better football, allowing players to perform at their best and it has been a matter of policy for the Premier Soccer League that they ensure both playing fields and stadia are up to a decent standard.
But that has not always been the case … and understandably so. Grass pitches are ‘alive’ and affected by conditions and there have been times where a lack of, or too much, sun and/or water has contributed to a below standard surface. There are other factors too, like overuse, but in the main all the stadium operators across the country try to keep their fields in a best condition possible.
Recently we have seen the pitches at both the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch and the Border City Stadium in East London ruled unfit for top flight football.
Both venues have battled because they are shared with rugby and because of the above average rainfall this year. The combination of hefty rugby forwards and wet surfaces churned up the surfaces.
When there is criticism of the playing surfaces in South African football, it is essential to be aware that there are no facilities in this country that are owned by the clubs, as is the case in the bigger and better leagues worldwide.
Here, venues are shared, and the resultant wear and tear is a problem for football. This is the historic reality of sport in South Africa and means there must be some understanding when grounds are not as pleasurable and smooth to play on as they should be.
Clubs can only ever be held responsible for ensuring top class playing surfaces when they eventually own their own stadiums.
Kaizer Chiefs once unveiled plans to build their own venue near Krugersdorp but that proposed project never got off the ground. There is talk that Stellenbosch might build their own stadium soon but financial reality means almost all the clubs will remain tenants rather than owners and therefore at the mercy of seeing their ‘homes’ also used for other events, like concerts or prayer days, or other sports.
That, unfortunately, is just the way it is … for the moment at least.