VOLKSWAGEN DOBSONVILLE STADIUM

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Letlhogonolo Tshidiso Moletsane

FACTS
Address:  Montlahla and Majova Street, Dobsonville, Soweto
City:        Johannesburg, GA
Opened:  1975
Capacity: 24 000
It was renovated in 2009 and has recently been renamed as the VOLKSWAGEN DOBSONVILLE STADIUM.

Founded in 1975, Dobsonville Stadium is the youngest stadium in Soweto and is home to Moroka Swallows F.C. It is a multi-purpose stadium, mostly used for soccer matches, but also is equipped with an athletics track. It cost R69 million to renovate and was renovated in 2009, and in 2010 was briefly the practice ground for the Brazil National side. I was fortunate enough to be able to see them.

Despite the large amounts of money spent on renovating the stadium it still falls short on some basic aspects.
The stadium does not have a designated parking area which is a problem when big clubs come to Dobsonville. Supporters with vehicles find themselves having to park in the middle of the street, in or on peoples property and usually quite far from the venue. The lack of proper parking also causes major traffic build up, especially in bigger games. And like most stadiums in South Africa, leaving the stadium can take up to an hour because of no real traffic control put in place and no proper 'exits' are specified so people just drive wherever they wish. Inside the stadium, the quality of the pitch is usually poor and the Dobsonville Stadium has one of the worst drainage systems in the country. There is also no screen, so if you miss something, you are going to wait until you get home to be able to see it.