National Sports Stadium Ready By December 2024 - SRC
The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) expects to complete the rehabilitation of the National Sports Stadium to meet the Confederation of African Football (CAF) minimum standards by the end of this year, reported NewsDay.
In a recent update, SRC board chairman Gerald Mlotshwa and director-general Elta Nengomasha provided details on the ongoing renovations at Zimbabwe’s largest sports facility.
Mlotshwa announced that the first batch of 15,000 bucket seats, purchased from China, has already arrived in Beira, Mozambique.
The seats will be transported to Harare once the necessary paperwork is finalised. He said:
I am happy to report that as of today, the first batch of the bucket seats is now in Beira, ready for shipping to Zimbabwe.
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Those timeframes to Zimbabwe are what we are busy trying to ascertain so that we give accurate information.
Mlotshwa added that the SRC is targeting completion of all the renovation work by December. However, he noted that the pitch itself will require major refurbishment.
Nengomasha further elaborated on the ongoing projects, saying they are currently working on installing a new perimeter fence and upgrading the water reticulation system at the stadium. She said:
In preparation to receive the bucket seats and other equipment, we are securing the stadium with a new perimeter fence. We expect that to be complete by the end of August.
Water reticulation, if you come to the stadium, you will find that the first half of the reticulation has been done. The trenches have been dug and the piping is on site.
Nengomasha also revealed that the turnstiles and CCTV equipment have already been delivered to the National Sports Stadium, and the team is now waiting to begin the installation. Added Nengomasha:
We need special lighting for the floodlights, which is in line with CAF standards. In terms of the floodlights, there is a contractor that is in place and most of the preliminary work has been done.
Due to the lack of a CAF-certified stadium in Zimbabwe, the national team, the Warriors, as well as Premier Soccer League clubs Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum Stars, have been forced to host their home matches in CAF competitions on foreign soil.
In November 2023, Zimbabwe hosted Nigeria in Rwanda in the CAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In June 2024, the Warriors played their World Cup qualifier home match against Lesotho in South Africa, and in September 2024, they are scheduled to host Cameroon in Uganda in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
This past weekend, Dynamos hosted ZESCO United in Botswana for their CAF Confederation Cup fixture, while Ngezi Platinum Stars welcomed Maniema Union in Zambia for their CAF Champions League home game.
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