CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 22: General view during the Super Rugby Quarter final between DHL Stormers and Chiefs at DHL Newlands on July 22, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Newlands Rugby Stadium set to be demolished in 2021
The WPRFU have accepted an offer from Investec that will allow the Union to settle some of its outstanding debts and move from Newlands to Cape Town Stadium.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 22: General view during the Super Rugby Quarter final between DHL Stormers and Chiefs at DHL Newlands on July 22, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Newlands Rugby Stadium will reportedly be demolished in 2021 to make way for residential and retail developments.
RugbyRocks.com have claimed that Western Province Rugby Football Union have accepted an R110-million deal from Investec for the property.
The deal which has not been confirmed by either Investec or WPRFU will, allegedly, see the Union bag a 5% share in profits from the development and 3.5% of resales of the units.
The stadium, which can currently seat just over 50,000, was built in 1888 but has fallen behinds by modern standards.
Western Province Rugby are expected to make the Cape Town Stadium the home of rugby in the Western Cape. WPRFU does not own the Cape Town Stadium, but a move to the ground has long been mooted.
The Cape Town Stadium currently plays host to a variety of events, including a World Rugby Sevens Series stop and football matches involving Cape Town City FC, Stellenbosch FC and others.
WPRFU are eager to become the anchor tenant at the venue, which should host Stormers Super Rugby matches and WP’s Currie Cup home games very soon.
The City of Cape Town have long sought WPRFU as a tenant at the stadium, built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. In December 2014 WPRFU rejected a proposed move away from Newlands but the consensus was that it was only a matter of time before the shift transpired.
Newlands stood in as a PSL venue earlier this season when Cape Town Stadium’s stewards were unable to have the pitch ready for the start of the domestic football season.
Newlands history
Newlands is the oldest rugby stadium in South Africa and the second-oldest rugby stadium in the world.
The first official match at Newlands kicked off on 31 May 1890 when Stellenbosch Rugby Club defeated Villagers in front of a crowd of about 2,400 people. In 1891 the stadium hosted its first rugby test when the British Lions (British Isles) toured South Africa.
After 1990 the stadium underwent a string of renovations, adding technology, increasing capacity, and upgrading facilities, in a 3-phase redevelopment plan in anticipation of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when Newlands hosted the opening match of the tournament between the Springboks and Wallabies.
Newlands has been regarded as among the best rugby grounds in the world, combining intimate seating, a beautiful view of Table Mountain, and a great atmosphere both inside and outside of the ground.
