Call to fix poor state of Gelvandale pitch
PORT Elizabeth soccer players are begging for something to be done about the poor state of the pitch at the Gelvandale stadium.
The call comes after Patriotic Alliance councillor Marlon Daniels posted a series of photographs of the playing surface on Facebook, showing a layer of sand strewn across the pitch.
The stadium, originally built in 1976, was upgraded in 2010 and used as a training facility during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The 3 000-seater stadium upgrade cost about R81-million.
Daniels said despite the poor state of the pitch, the 44th annual Northern Areas Football Association Easter Tournament was held at the stadium.
Daniels had noticed the bad state of the pitch after playing a match at the stadium on Monday.
“You cannot play football on a pitch like that, it’s not conducive to playing football,” Daniels said.
“The state of the pitch could cause some serious injuries.”
He would conduct site visits to other sports facilities in the Bay to check on conditions as well, he said.
“This is the best facility we have in the northern areas,” Daniels said.
“I’m not targeting the stadium as an individual, I’m doing this for the community, it must serve the public.”
Desmond “Bravo” Jacobs, who is well known in Bay sporting circles, said the stadium was only one of many problems facing sporting venues across the northern areas.
“All the fields in the northern areas are in need of refurbishment because playing on bad fields can also play a role in losing young talent in the northern areas,” Jacobs said.
Many young northern areas players still managed to perform well in games, despite the lack of proper facilities, he said.
Nelson Mandela Bay municipal spokesman Mzobanzi Jikazana said the main cause of the pitch deterioration was the water restrictions which did not allow sports fields to be watered.
“All municipal fields are affected in the same way,” he said.
“However, the department has procured water tanks for some facilities and is exploring sinking of boreholes to alleviate the situation.”
Jikazana said ABC Motsepe and Castle league games were scheduled at the stadium for September and staff had begun maintenance work to improve the condition of the pitch.