Nujoma Stadium idle until Feb

THE multi-million-dollar Sam Nujoma Soccer Stadium in Katutura will not be host to a single premiership match until February next year, due to exorbitant rental fees. The MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) has scheduled all its matches for the first round at the Independence Stadium and the SKW Fields in the capital, leaving the newly constructed modern facility to lie idle until the fees are reviewed by the City of Windhoek next year.

The City of Windhoek charges N$4 500 per premiership match, compared to rental fees at the Independence Stadium that are put at N$500 per game. Authorities at Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW), the home of new league entrants Cymot SKW, ask just over N$300.NPL chairman Anton van Wyk confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday that the high costs at the new 8 000-seat stadium in Katutura have prompted them not to consider it for any matches after the new season got underway last weekend.He said teams cannot afford such an amount although the stadium would have been an ideal location to attract large crowds.”We would have loved to play at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, but these amounts have scared us and there is no way that teams can put away scarce resources in such a stadium,” he said.The only matches that will be played at the stadium this year are the semi-finals and finals of the FNB Cup, which are scheduled for December 16 and 17.The stadium has seen little activity – besides the two matches played at its inauguration earlier this year, only two other matches have been played there.Van Wyk said the City of Windhoek requested a meeting with the league authorities and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) to look into the situation.City of Windhoek spokesperson Liz Sibindi said yesterday that the fees would only be reviewed next year.”When that time comes, we will look into the concerns of all the stakeholders, because this is a community stadium.We will adjust the fees in accordance to the needs at that time,” she said.Meanwhile, Van Wyk said that the Namibia Football Consortium (NFC), which has invested N$40 million in football for the next five years, also identified a problem with the branding at the stadium.The sponsors argue that they should be given the sole right to display banners of their products at matches that are played under their auspices.The City of Windhoek has invited anyone who is interested to advertise on the stadium’s billboards, a situation that might lead to a clash of brands.Sibindi could not answer this question, saying that she needed to investigate it first.The stadium, popularly known as Katutura Stadium, was renamed after Namibia’s first president Sam Nujoma.The construction cost was just over N$60 million and was completed earlier this year.The former Chief Executive Officer of the City of Windhoek, Martin Shipanga, was instrumental in bringing about the construction of the stadium, famous for exciting football and large crowds since the early seventies.* Van Wyk further said that the start-up capital of the 12 premiership teams will be released today.Each team will receive N$20 000 for the 2005/2006 season to cover its accommodation and travel expenses.Each team will play 22 matches over two rounds on a home-and-away basis, with each round consisting of eleven matches.Van Wyk said this season, match-handling fees for referees and their assistants have been increased from N$80 to N$100 per match.He said for the first time, a match commissioner will be appointed for each premiership match.”This is aimed at avoiding situations such as the Life Fighters/NPL saga that delayed the league due to cases that were not solved immediately.”The commissioner will be an independent person assessing the match and submitting a report to that effect to the league authorities,” he said.He pointed out that the security personnel at the stadiums will be paid by the NPL, but teams have to ensure that the security guards turn up for matches.At least 15 security guareds are required at every game.At the moment, a security company ensuring safety at matches is paid N$575.Van Wyk also said according to the new agreement with the consortium, first aid will be provided at matches and the money for this will also be covered by the NPL.The NPL received N$2 million for the 2005/2006 season.Authorities at Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW), the home of new league entrants Cymot SKW, ask just over N$300.NPL chairman Anton van Wyk confirmed to The Namibian Sport yesterday that the high costs at the new 8 000-seat stadium in Katutura have prompted them not to consider it for any matches after the new season got underway last weekend.He said teams cannot afford such an amount although the stadium would have been an ideal location to attract large crowds.”We would have loved to play at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, but these amounts have scared us and there is no way that teams can put away scarce resources in such a stadium,” he said.The only matches that will be played at the stadium this year are the semi-finals and finals of the FNB Cup, which are scheduled for December 16 and 17.The stadium has seen little activity – besides the two matches played at its inauguration earlier this year, only two other matches have been played there.Van Wyk said the City of Windhoek requested a meeting with the league authorities and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) to look into the situation.City of Windhoek spokesperson Liz Sibindi said yesterday that the fees would only be reviewed next year.”When that time comes, we will look into the concerns of all the stakeholders, because this is a community stadium.We will adjust the fees in accordance to the needs at that time,” she said.Meanwhile, Van Wyk said that the Namibia Football Consortium (NFC), which has invested N$40 million in football for the next five years, also identified a problem with the branding at the stadium.The sponsors argue that they should be given the sole right to display banners of their products at matches that are played under their auspices.The City of Windhoek has invited anyone who is interested to advertise on the stadium’s billboards, a situation that might lead to a clash of brands.Sibindi could not answer this question, saying that she needed to investigate it first.The stadium, popularly known as Katutura Stadium, was renamed after Namibia’s first president Sam Nujoma.The construction cost was just over N$60 million and was completed earlier this year.The former Chief Executive Officer of the City of Windhoek, Martin Shipanga, was instrumental in bringing about the construction of the stadium, famous for exciting football and large crowds since the early seventies.* Van Wyk further said that the start-up capital of the 12 premiership teams will be released today.Each team will receive N$20 000 for the 2005/2006 season to cover its accommodation and travel expenses.Each team will play 22 matches over two rounds on a home-and-away basis, with each round consisting of eleven matches.Van Wyk said this season, match-handling fees for referees and their assistants have been increased from N$80 to N$100 per match.He said for the first time, a match commissioner will be appointed for each premiership match.”This is aimed at avoiding situations such as the Life Fighters/NPL saga that delayed the league due to cases that were not solved immediately.”The commissioner will be an independent person assessing the match and submitting a report to that effect to the league authorities,” he said.He pointed out that the security personnel at the stadiums will be paid by the NPL, but teams have to ensure that the security guards turn up for matches.At least 15 security guareds are required at every game.At the moment, a security company ensuring safety at matches is paid N$575.Van Wyk also said according to the new agreement with the consortium, first aid will be provided at matches and the money for this will also be covered by the NPL.The NPL received N$2 million for the 2005/2006 season.