Ellis Park Stadium Johannesburg
Ellis Park is one of the oldest public sports grounds in South Africa with the first rugby match played at the venue in 1928. Since then it has been one of the main centers of the South African mania for rugby, with a brief period of usage as a cricket ground. It was demolished and rebuilt again in 1982. In 1995 the stadium hosted the iconic World Cup Rugby match between New Zealand and South Africa that witnessed South Africa’s triumph in the first major international tournament after her emergence from the apartheid period.
The Stadium
Known nowadays for sponsorship reasons as the Coca-Cola Stadium, Ellis Park has a seating capacity of 60,000, and will host five group games, one second round game and one quarter final during the FIFA 2010 World Cup Soccer Tournament, after receiving a substantial facelift in preparation for this major event. The venue is currently home to the Orlando pirates F.C.
Ellis Park is situated in New Doornfontein just east of the Johannesburg Central Business District, and on the main local road and rail links.