City celebrates bumper Easter sporting weekend with a wide range of events

The City of Cape Town’s Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department will host a range of local and national events over the Easter weekend, across various sporting codes including soccer, rugby, running and hockey, amongst others.

“These events provide all Capetonians with an opportunity to celebrate Easter in a healthy way, while offering activities and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, Councillor Tandeka Gqada.

The following events are scheduled to take place over the Easter weekend:

Two Oceans Marathon

The City is once again partnering with Old Mutual to host the 43rd annual Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon (OMTOM) over the Easter weekend, which will see over 20 000 runners taking to the streets.

The OMTOM Expo will take place from 4 – 6 April at the Good Hope Centre. This year marks the biggest expo yet, with over 130 exhibition stands and 78 companies participating – of which 22 are first-time exhibitors. The expo will be followed by a fun-run, a trail run and an international friendship run on 6 April and will be rounded off by a Parlotones concert at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens from 17:00 to 19:00 on Sunday 8 April.

The 56 km Ultra Marathon and the 21,1km Half Marathon will take place on Saturday 7 April 2012.

Both races will start from Main Road, Newlands. At 06:00, the City’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Patricia de Lille, will fire the starting gun for the Half Marathon, followed by the 56km Ultra Marathon at 06:25.

Dubbed ‘the world’s most beautiful marathon’, the event has grown over the past 43 years from an Ultra Marathon (i.e. a longer than usual marathon) to a variety of events spread over the Easter weekend that cater for every class of participant – from top marathon runners to toddlers. Nearly 23 000 runners will participate in this year’s events, with 9 000 entrants competing in the 56km Ultra Marathon and just over 14 000 in the 21,1km Half Marathon.

Contact person: Stefanie Shultzen on 072 457 8085

Click here for more event information and details about road closures.

Metropolitan Premier Cup

The City is partnering with the Bayhill Football Club to host the 24th annual Metropolitan Premier Cup 2012. Local soccer fans will be able to watch talented young under-19 footballers from 32 teams across South Africa and Africa competing for top honours, with junior players from the top Premier Soccer League (PSL) teams participating. Some 30 000 spectators are expected to attend the tournament over the Easter weekend.

Amongst others, Benny McCarthy, Mathew Booth and Mark Williams graduated from this tournament in previous years and went on to play for Bafana Bafana. The tournament is attended by scouts from all of the major PSL clubs and is a platform for players to be spotted and scooped by the top clubs. The event has grown from humble beginnings 23 years ago to being one of the premier events over the Easter period.

Sponsors include the City of Cape Town, Metropolitan, Bayhill Football Club and sportswear company Adidas.

Date: 4 – 9 April 2012

Time: 08:00 – 21:00

Venue: Erica Park Sports Complex, Belhar

Contact person: PJ Williams on 082 335 7392

KC March Easter Hockey Festival 2012

The City is partnering with the Central Hockey Club to host the KC March Easter Festival 2012 for the first time in Cape Town since 2007. The event will take place at the Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium and Vygieskraal Hockey Complex under the auspices of Western Province Hockey Union and the South African Hockey Association (SAHA).

Close to 40 teams will participate, representing top clubs from across the country. The Premier Division comprises eight ladies’ and eight men’s teams. The rest of the participants will participate in the Challenge and Masters Divisions for ladies and men.

Many of the participants are in the prime of their hockey careers (ages 18 to 25 years), several of whom have represented their provinces. A large contingent of South African under-21 and senior players will compete as well as former national players. Participating clubs will travel from Port Elizabeth, East London, Johannesburg, Kimberley and Bloemfontein.

Date: 6 – 8 April 2012

Time: 08:00 – 20:00

Venues: Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium, Observatory
Vygieskraal Hockey Complex, Athlone

Contact: Ron Hendrickse on 084 800 0844 or E-mail: ronh@yebo.co.za

Young Brothers RFC National Rugby Tournament

The City is partnering with the Young Brothers Rugby Football Club to host the inaugural Young Brothers Rugby Football Club National Rugby Easter Tournament. The tournament will take place from 6 – 9 April 2012 at the NY49 Sports Complex in Gugulethu.

The tournament will see 22 teams from the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng competing in 21 games played over three divisions, namely: juniors, seniors and women. Over 3 000 spectators are expected to attend.

Date: 6 – 8 April 2012

Time: 10:00 – 19:00

Venue: NY49 Sports Complex, Gugulethu

Contact person: Mvuyisi Goduka on 072 207 5298

Lagunya Easter Rugby Tournament

The City is partnering with the Lagunya Rugby Football Club to host the Lagunya Easter Rugby Tournament in Nyanga.

The tournament will see 16 teams from Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng competing to win the first trophy. The National Minister for Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalulu, and President of South African Rugby, Oregan Hoskins, are expected to attend.

Date: 6 – 9 April 2012

Time: 09:00 – 14:00

Venue: Nyanga Rugby Stadium, Nyanga

Contact person: Buster Phillips on 084 823 5054

The City intends to develop these events to attract large numbers of local and international participants. This complements the City’s strategy to partner iconic events, such as the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour, the Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Challenge, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and the Metropolitan Premier Cup.

“The City has made considerable investments in terms of providing much-needed facilities, and we will do all that we can to see these major tournaments take place in our less privileged areas and support disadvantaged participants. These facilities are to be enjoyed by everyone and we want to promote their use not only for the communities in which they are built, but also by neighbouring communities,” said Cllr Gqada.

Article source: http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/Pages/CitycelEastersportwkndwithwiderangeevents.aspx