The Ellis Park Stadium (known as Emirates Airline Park for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby union and association football stadium in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country’s national team, the Springboks. The stadium was the country’s most modern when it was upgraded in 1982 to accommodate almost 60,000 people.
Today, the stadium hosts both football and rugby and is also used as a venue for other large events, such as open-air concerts. It has become synonymous with rugby as the only time when rugby was not played at Ellis Park was during 1980 and 1981, when the stadium was under construction during the upgrade.
The stadium was originally named after J. D. Ellis, who made the area for the stadium available. A five-year ZAR 450 million (US$58 million/£30 million) naming rights deal was signed in 2008 with The Coca-Cola Company, resulting in the stadium being named Coca-Cola Park between 2008 and 2012.
League, provincial, and international football games have all been played at the stadium, and it has seen such teams as Brazil, Manchester United and Arsenal play. Ellis Park Stadium is the centrepiece of a sporting sector in the south-east of Johannesburg, where it neighbours Johannesburg Stadium (athletics), Standard Bank Arena, Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, and an Olympic-class swimming pool.
Ellis Park is home to the following teams:
Lions (Cats until September 2006), United Rugby Championship.
Golden Lions, Currie Cup domestic rugby competition
Cricket matches were held at the stadium in the past. Ellis Park hosted six Test matches between 1948 and 1954,[6] but it has not been used for first-class cricket since New Wanderers Stadium opened in 1956 and is now only used for rugby and football.
Address: 44 Currey Street, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
First black-owned stadium in SA: In 2005, Ellis Park Stadium made history by becoming the first black-owned stadium in South Africa. Accommodating around 60,000 spectators, ongoing upgrades, renovations and safety reviews confirm Ellis Park Stadium reputation as one of the best stadiums in the world.
Home to the Lions: It is home to the Lions (Vodacom United Rugby Championship) and Fidelity ADT Lions teams (Carling Currie Cup).
Endless hosting possibilities: Although used primarily for rugby games, it also hosts other large scale events such as international soccer matches and concerts and is a popular location for corporate and business events.
Ideal for corporate functions: With nine conference venues which can hold up to 1,000 people at a time, and executive suites and banqueting facilities overlooking the pitch, Ellis Park Stadium is state-of-the-art ready for any event; be it business, sport or entertainment. Click below for more information or to book a venue.
The launch of the musical Sarafina!: 1987 – The musical told the story of students involved in the 1976 Soweto Uprising and went on to international acclaim, becoming a powerful cultural export.
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