I’ll admit it, post World Cup 2010 depression was rough. I had gotten so used to heading down to the FIFA Fan Park in the afternoons, joining the Fan Walk during the Cape Town games, and the general jovial nature of people in the city. I still have not returned to the Grand Parade, where the fan park once stood and I enjoyed many a game. I cant imagine looking at it empty, devoid of that big screen and the possibility of Castle lager.
That is why I was thrilled to hear that the Cape Town Stadium would once again come to life for a double header as the Orlando Pirates took on Vasco de Gama and Ajax Cape Town took on the Bloemfontein Celtics in the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL). It had been reported that just a couple thousand tickets remained unsold late Friday night, which would seem to indicate that the stadium was near capacity (64,000). The seats were certainly full, and those few that were vacant were most likely in line for more beer! The concessions were a bit swamped on the night and they did run out of beer midway through the second game.
The football was thrilling. Most specifically the Pirates versus de Gama game which happened first. It was much more entertaining than the France versus Uruguay match I went to as part of the World Cup. The crowd seemed to have be loving it as well and from our vantage point police and security did a great job keeping people safe and comfortable.
Cant wait for the next PSL game at Cape Town Stadium and I encourage all Capetonians to get out and enjoy the ‘lekker’ local football!!
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