Royal Bafokeng Stadium facts for kids
| Location | Rustenburg, South Africa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 25°34′43″S 27°9′39″E / 25.57861°S 27.16083°E |
| Capacity | 38,646 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1999 |
| Renovated | 2010 |
The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a large stadium located in Phokeng, a town close to Rustenburg in South Africa. It is a place where many different sports are played. These include soccer, rugby, and track and field events.
This stadium was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation. This is a local community in the area.
About the Royal Bafokeng Stadium
The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace was built in 1999. It has a seating capacity of 38,646 people. This makes it a very large venue for sports and other events.
Home to Sports Teams
The stadium is the home ground for the Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars. This is a professional soccer team in South Africa.
The Leopards rugby team also uses this stadium. They play their biggest matches here during the Currie Cup season. The Currie Cup is a major rugby competition in South Africa. They use this stadium instead of their usual home ground, Olën Park.
World Cup Upgrades
The stadium was made bigger and better for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Its capacity was increased from 38,000 to 42,000 seats. This allowed it to host five first-round matches and one second-round match during the World Cup.
The main stand on the west side was improved and made larger. It also got a new roof that sticks out without needing pillars. Other updates included new electronic scoreboards to show scores and game information. New seats were put in for fans, and the floodlights were made brighter. The public address system, which is used to make announcements, was also improved.
The stadium's upgrades were finished in March 2009. This was just in time for it to host four matches of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. This event was a warm-up tournament before the World Cup.
