Free State Stadium
The Free State Stadium (Afrikaans: Vrystaatstadion), currently known as the Toyota Stadium for sponsorship reasons and formerly known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and also sometimes for association football.
It was originally built for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and was one of the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
 | |
| Former names | Vodacom Park |
|---|---|
| Location | Kings Way, Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 29°7′2″S 26°12′32″E / 29.11722°S 26.20889°E |
| Public transit | Bloemfontein railway station |
| Operator | Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality |
| Executive suites | 100 |
| Capacity | 46,000 |
| Field size | 100 by 70 metres (330 ft × 230 ft) |
| Surface | Ryegrass |
| Scoreboard | yes |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1955 |
| Renovated | 1995 |
| Expanded | 2009 |
| Tenants | |
| Cheetahs Free State Cheetahs Bloemfontein Celtic | |
The primary rugby union tenants of the facility are the Free State Cheetahs, which participate in South Africa's domestic competition, the Currie Cup. Previously, the Cheetahs represented the Free State and Northern Cape provinces in the international Pro14 competition.
Until their sale before the start of the 2021–22 South African Premier Division, the primary association football tenant was Bloemfontein Celtic, who played in South Africa's domestic Premier Soccer League.
Notable matches
1995 Rugby World Cup
The stadium was one of the host venues for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It hosted first-round matches in Pool C during the tournament.
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 1995 |  Japan | 10–57 |  Wales | Group C | 12,000 |
| 31 May 1995 |  Ireland | 50–28 | Japan | 15,000 | |
| 4 June 19951 | Japan | 17–145 |  New Zealand | 17,000 |
1996 African Cup of Nations
The Free State Stadium was one of venues used for the 1996 African Cup of Nations. It hosted six group matches and a quarter-final match:
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 January 1996 |  Zambia | 0–0 |  Algeria | Group B | 9,000 | |
| 15 January 1996 |  Sierra Leone | 2–1 |  Burkina Faso | 1,500 | ||
| 18 January 1996 | Algeria | 2–0 | Sierra Leone | 1,500 | ||
| 20 January 1996 | Zambia | 5–1 | Burkina Faso | 2,000 | ||
| 24 January 1996 | 4–0 | Sierra Leone | 200 | |||
| 25 January 1996 |  Ghana | 2–0 |  Mozambique | Group D | 3,500 | |
| 27 January 1996 | Zambia | 3–1 |  Egypt | Quarter-finals | 8,500 |
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The Free State Stadium was one of the host venues for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 2009 | 16:00 |  Brazil | 4–3 | Egypt | Group B | 27,851 |
| 17 June 2009 | 16:00 |  Spain | 1–0 |  Iraq | Group A | 30,512 |
| 20 June 2009 | 20:30 | 2–0 |  South Africa | 38,212 | ||
| 24 June 2009 | 0–2 |  United States | Semi-finals | 35,369 |
2010 FIFA World Cup
Ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a second tier was added to the main grandstand on the western side of the ground, increasing the net capacity from 36,538 to 40,911. Additionally, new turnstiles were created, the floodlights upgraded, electronic scoreboards installed, the sound system revamped to the required standards, and CCTV and media facilities improved.
Bloemfontein received R221 million to upgrade the stadium. Though cost estimates were at R245 million, the city decided to stand in for the R24m shortfall. Tenders were advertised in February and March 2007. Upgrade work started in July 2007.
| Date | Time (SAST) | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Japan | 1–0 |  Cameroon | Group E | 30,620 |
| 17 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Greece | 2–1 |  Nigeria | Group B | 31,593 |
| 20 June 2010 | 13.30 |  Slovakia | 0–2 |  Paraguay | Group F | 26,643 |
| 22 June 2010 | 16.00 |  France | 1–2 | South Africa | Group A | 39,415 |
| 25 June 2010 | 20.30 |  Switzerland | 0–0 |  Honduras | Group H | 28,042 |
| 27 June 2010 | 16.00 |  Germany | 4–1 |  England | Round of 16 | 40,510 |
See also
References
External links
- Bloemfontein: Official municipality website
- Photos of Stadiums in South Africa at cafe.daum.net/stade
- 360 View
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