Three Year Old Bay United Set to Inherit 40,000 Seater Stadium Ahead of 2010

“Welcome to Port Elizabeth, next stop Antarctica” says something about the location of this beautiful city but few of you probably know much more than that.

South Africa’s fifth largest city is also known as Nelson Mandela Bay or PE and is a 2010 FIFA World Cup host of eight games, including the third/fourth playoff.

Port Elizabeth is building a new stadium for the World Cup on the banks of the cities North End lake and it is due to be completed within the next six months.

Amazingly, when the World Cup was awarded to SA in may 2004, PE didn’t even have a professional side and with a population of over one million people, it was possibly the biggest city in a football playing nation without a professional club.

Port Elizabeth’s traditional powerhouses Rainbow Stars and Park United had followed PE Technikon’s lead of dropping out of the First Division through the trap door.

It was a sad situation for the city with its young talent constantly moving away to join clubs in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban. For the rest, there really was nothing to aim for. A career in football wasn’t even a possibility.

In 2006, Volkswagen SA bought a First Division franchise and relocated the team to PE renaming them Bay United with the aim of making it into South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) by 2010.

In 2008 that dream was realized when Bay United (still sponsored by VW) finished second in the coastal stream of the South African First Division, before winning the playoffs and gaining promotion to the Absa Premiership (PSL), two years ahead of schedule.

Since winning promotion, Port Elizabeth has welcomed top flight football with open arms, home games are attracting supporters from all walks of life and supporters clubs springing up all over the city.

Two wins on the trot over Golden Arrows (2-1) and Bidvest Wits (2-1) have seen the PSL new boys rise out of the relegation zone and are looking more and more like a team able to compete in the top flight.

With Moroka Swallows travelling to PE next week, another three points at home will be vital in keeping their heads above water in the long run in, so that when next season kicks off in August, Port Elizabeth’s new 44,000 all-seater stadium is not resigned to the First Division but will welcome the best that South African football has to offer before welcoming the World in June 2010.