Patricia Maganu
20 March 2008
Francistown — The construction of the P175 million Francistown Stadium, is set to begin next month. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Moeng Pheto said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Monday that the new stadium will have an estimated sitting capacity of 27,000 people.
The new stadium has been an issue at the Francistown City Council (FCC) for several years. Pheto said that the Department of Buildings and Engineering Services and his ministry has worked hard to expedite the process of giving Francistown a stadium which has been in the pipeline for close to 10 years. He said the integrated sports facility will cater for local and international sports and recreation.
"This means that Francistown will see a phenomenal growth in both formal and non-formal sectors that normally accompany the sports industry," he said.
"It is expected that the facility will, among other things contribute to professional development of talent and creativity in sports as well as give Botswana competitive edge in hosting international events," he added.
Francistown residents believe that the lack of a stadium hinders growth in the second city. The completion of the stadium is expected to be January 6, 2010. Pheto said that having been involved in the construction on integrated sports facilities for about a decade, the ministry has learnt crucial lessons. He said they are aware that the pre-contract activities are time-consuming and as such they have resolved to fast track the process by designing stadia models that can be replicated in other areas. He said there will be three levels for building integrated sports facilities. Level one facilities will be provided in urban centres to host regional and international competitions. "Level two facilities will be provided at district headquarters with a population of about 60,000 and level three will be provided for in sub-district headquarters with a population concentration of about 30, 000," he said.
Pheto said the construction of the Francistown stadium will hopefully create employment opportunities for residents in particular and people from the surrounding areas in general because of the bulk of the work to be undertaken is labour-intensive.
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