On 23 January, football fans will get to test the brand new R4.5 billion Cape Town Stadium at the inaugural match of the Cape Town Stadium Soccer Festival.

The match, which is hosted by the City of Cape Town and sponsored by Virgin Active, will be between Premier Soccer League giants Santos and Ajax Cape Town. All available Twenty thousand tickets have already been sold.

“The Cape Town Stadium Soccer Festival affords us the chance to celebrate the ingenuity of the team behind the magnificent Cape Town Stadium, as well as the rich traditions of Cape Town football in the match between Ajax Cape Town and Santos,” says Ross Faragher-Thomas, Managing Director of Virgin Active, the official sponsor of the Cape Town Soccer Festival.

“The Cape Town Stadium is a venue that should make all South Africans proud, not just those from the mother city, and we at Virgin Active are delighted to play our part in this most historic of occasions.

“We know that this event will be well supported by the people of Cape Town, who are passionate about their football, but also their achievements as a city, and we look forward to enjoying the day of celebration with them.” The schedule for the day is:

• 14:00 Gates open Roving podium entertainment
• 15:20 Official blessing of the field and opening of the stadium
• 15:30 Musical performance by Freshly Ground
• 16:00 Ajax Cape Town vs Santos game 1st half
• 16:45 Vuvuzela orchestra performance
• 17:00 Ajax Cape Town vs Santos game 2nd half
• 17:45 Final whistle
• 17:55 Official trophy ceremony
• 19:00 Gates close

The match is being used as an opportunity for the operators of the stadium, SAIL STADEFRANCE to test the stadium’s systems and processes by slowly building-up to the full 68 000 capacity in a number of different games before the 2010 FIFA World CupTM event.

Tickets were available from Computicket and cost between R30 and R50. Parking tickets, of which 3 000 were for sale, were priced at R20, and were only available from Computicket. Fans will not be able to buy match tickets or parking tickets at the stadium on the day.

The City of Cape Town will be providing a free shuttle service from the Civic Centre in Hertzog Boulevard to the stadium and back. To use this facility, all fans need do is present their match tickets.

A helpline has been set up for those who require additional information on the event and can be reached on 021 487 6800.

Martin Pollack