Peter Mokaba Stadium

Opened: 1976
Address: Dorp Street, Polokwane
Capacity: 18 000
Football clubs: Winners Park
Other Sports: None

2009 Vodacom Challenge Fixture:
Unknown

Vodacom Challenge History:
None

Named after former African National Congress Youth League leader Peter Mokaba who passed away in 2002, the stadium is located five kilometres from the centre of the vibrant Limpopo city of Polokwane.

It was once the home of former PSL side Ria Stars before they were disbanded in 2003 when the League was restructured from 18 to its present 16 teams. Top-flight side Dynamos also played there until their franchise was moved to Durban.

More recently, First Division Inland Stream promotion hopefuls Winners Park used the venue in the 2008/09 season.

The stadium is also famous for being the place where Cote d’Ivoire and Chelsea star Didier Drogba made his debut for The Elephants in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in 2001.

Drogba has gone on to be one of the dominant forces in African football, but will always hold the Peter Mokaba Stadium in his heart.

This is the first year that the venue will be used for the Vodacom Challenge, bringing the prestigious tournament to the people of Limpopo, South Africa’s northern-most province.


Absa Stadium

Opened: 1891
Address: Jack Jackson Drive, Durban
Capacity: 52 000
Football clubs: Alternate ground for Lamontville Golden Arrows and AmaZulu, but also occasionally used by Thanda Royal Zulu and Kaizer Chiefs
Other Sports: Rugby (Sharks, Natal Sharks)

2009 Vodacom Challenge Fixture:
21/7/2009 Kaizer Chiefs vs Manchester City

Vodacom Challenge History:
11/07/1999 Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 Asec Abidjan
11/07/1999 Orlando Pirates 4-1 Esperance
02/07/2000 Power Dynamos 2-1 Africa Sports
02/07/2000 Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 Orlando Pirates
08/07/2001 Orlando Pirates 0-0 Hearts of Oak (Hearts won 4-3 on pens)
08/07/2001 Kaizer Chiefs 0-0 Asante Kotoko (Chiefs won 4-2 on pens)
14/07/2002 Orlando Pirates 1-1 Asante Kotoko (Pirates won 8-7 on pens)
14/07/2002 Kaizer Chiefs 0-1 St Eloi Lupopo
06/07/2003 Orlando Pirates 1-0 St Eloi Lupopo
06/07/2003 Kaizer Chiefs 0-0 TP Mazembe (Chiefs won 3-2 on pens)
24/07/2005 Green Buffaloes 1-2 AS Vita Club
24/07/2005 Orlando Pirates 2-1 Kaizer Chiefs
15/07/2006 Orlando Pirates 0-4 Manchester United
21/07/2007 Kaizer Chiefs 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
22/07/2008 Orlando Pirates 0-1 Manchester United

The Absa Stadium was the scene of South Africa’s return to international football as a late Doctor Khumalo penalty gave Bafana Bafana a 1-0 win over visiting Cameroon on July 7, 1992.

The venue has long been a favourite for South African soccer administrators. Indeed, it played host to the first five finals of the Vodacom Challenge before a move to the FNB Stadium in 2004. The final returned in 2005. The Absa Stadium has been venue for the revamped format of the tournament since 2006.

It has also been used as a final venue for domestic cup competitions in recent years and, given its 52 000 capacity, excellent playing surface and passionate KwaZulu-Natal fans, it is one of the great ‘atmosphere’ grounds in South Africa.
It is for that reason that Kaizer Chiefs occasionally chose the ground as its home venue, despite the fact that it is 800 kilometres from Soweto.

Opened in 1891, the stadium only really rose to prominence in the 1960s when it first started hosting Springbok rugby Tests, and received extensive improvements to its structure ahead of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Nelson Mandela Stadium

Opened: 2009
Address: North End Lake, North End, Port Elizabeth
Capacity: 46 000
Football clubs: None to date
Other Sports: None to date

2009 Vodacom Challenge Fixture:
23/07/09 Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs

Vodacom Challenge History:
None

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has been purpose built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and is the first of the new stadiums to be ready ahead of the tournament.

The first event to be staged at the stadium will be on 26 June 2009 when a Lions Tour match will be staged.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is a world-class venue and will take over from the EPRU Stadium as the home of football in Port Elizabeth and it is fitting that one of its first outings will be to host the always much-anticipated Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates – one of the great rivalries in world football.

Its setting is magnificent, overlooking the North End Lake in the heart of the city, and the five-tier arena is a magnificent facility that has other uses outside of the playing pitch, with function rooms, restaurants, a gymnasium, amongst other things.

The Stadium will host 6 FIFA 2010 matches, including a quarter final.

The capacity will be reduced to 44 000 after the 2010 World Cup, but the two massive 92 square metre giant screens will remain.


Loftus Versfeld

Opened: 1906
Address: Kirkness Street, Arcadia, Tshwane
Capacity: 52 000
Football Clubs: Kaizer Chiefs, as well as an alternate ground for Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United
Other Sports: Rugby (Vodacom Bulls, Vodacom Blue Bulls)

2009 Vodacom Challenge Fixture:
25/07/2009 Manchester City vs Winner of Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates

Vodacom Challenge History:
22/07/2006 Kaizer Chiefs 0-0 Manchester United (Chiefs won 4-3 on pens)
28/07/2007 Orlando Pirates 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur
26/07/2008 Kaizer Chiefs 0-4 Manchester United

Originally called the Eastern Sports Grounds, the stadium was eventually named after Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, a local man who was seen as the father of organised sport in Tshwane.

Blessed with one of the best playing surfaces in the country, Loftus is a popular venue for PSL clubs. It has been adopted as home by Kaizer Chiefs in recent years, while the Tshwane duo of Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United also occasionally use the facility.

It is the only ground in this year’s Vodacom Challenge that will also be used for the FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

It has been home of the Vodacom Challenge final since 2006 and was also the scene of South Africa’s first-ever victory over European opposition when they beat Sweden 1-0 in the 1999 Nelson Mandela Challenge.