Back Ellispark-stadion Afrikaans ملعب إليس بارك Arabic Эліс Парк Byelorussian Эліс Парк BE-X-OLD Елис Парк Bulgarian Stadion Ellis Park BS Estadi Ellis Park Catalan Ellis Park Stadium Czech Ellis Park Stadium Danish Ellis-Park-Stadion German
Emirates Airline Park | |
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| Former names | Coca-Cola Park (2008–12) |
|---|---|
| Location | 47 N. Park Lane Doornfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, 2028 |
| Coordinates | 26°11′51″S 28°3′39″E / 26.19750°S 28.06083°E |
| Owner | City of Johannesburg, Orlando Pirates, Interza Lesego, Ellis Park Stadium (Pty) Ltd |
| Operator | Ellis Park World of Sport |
| Capacity | 62,567 (Rugby union and Soccer) 55,686 (2010 FIFA World Cup) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1927 |
| Opened | 1928[1] |
| Renovated | 1982 |
| Expanded | 2009 |
| Construction cost | R 40 Million |
| Tenants | |
| Lions (1996–present) Golden Lions | |
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.[2]
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,[3] Ellis Park Tennis Stadium,[4] 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[5]
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.
- ^ "Ellis Park". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 August 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ^ "Ellis Park Stadium renamed to Coca-Cola Park". Ellis Park Stadium (Pty) Limited. 4 July 2008. Archived from the original (Microsoft Word) on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ^ "Coca-Cola Park : Standard Bank Arena". Archived from the original on 7 March 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ Johannesburg Stadium
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ellispark-Historywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ellis Park: Test Matches". ESPN Cricinfo. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.