Goodbye Newlands, hello Cape Town Stadium for WP Rugby – official

Cape Town Stadium has officially become home to Western Province Rugby following the signing of a 99-year Anchor Tenant Agreement.

ALSO READ: Springbok camp speaks out about Nigel Owens links

Following the signing of a heads of agreement between the City, Western Province Rugby Football Union and Western Province Rugby in 2019, the Anchor Tenant Agreement, which is an amplification of the heads of agreement, has been signed between WP Rugby, the City and the Cape Town Stadium (RF) SOC Limited, the Municipal Entity tasked with the management and business growth of the Cape Town Stadium.

MUST-WATCH: Springboks take it back to the beach for brutal workout

Stormers head coach John Dobson said that having already experienced some special times at Cape Town Stadium over the last two years, his team is looking forward to what the future holds at their home ground.

“The way that our team and our supporters have taken to Cape Town Stadium has been incredible. We live in a beautiful city and play in an iconic stadium in front of the best fans in the world,” Dobson said.

“We are all looking forward to making more great memories at Cape Town Stadium in the years to come,” he said.

WATCH: Springboks — Eben Etzebeth takes on TWO team-mates and WINS

STORMERS TO TAKE ON THE WORLD AT CAPE TOWN STADIUM

Says Lesley De Reuck, CEO, Cape Town Stadium (RF) SOC Limited: “This is an exciting time for us. We are delighted that the Cape Town Stadium is now the official home of WP Rugby and we look forward to their future “home” matches being played at the stadium.”

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed the signing of the agreement and looks forward to the Stormers and Western Province building a legacy at Cape Town Stadium.

“I look forward to watching the mighty Stormers take on the world from their new home at stadium. This agreement is good news for sport and tourism, and for this excellent facility which hosts world-class events all-year-round,” he said.

The relationship will see WP Rugby playing an anticipated 12 to 15 matches a year at the Stadium. These matches will include Stormers and Western Province games. It could also include any Springbok Tests allocated to WP Rugby by the South African Rugby Union.

ALSO READ: Kolisi — Springboks ‘cannot just do the same things we did in 2019’

Delivering on the mandate of being a multi-purpose stadium, the Cape Town Stadium looks forward to continue hosting Cape Town City Football Club matches as well as a number of international concerts each year. Aside from its bowl events, the stadium also hosts a number of trade shows, conferences and exhibitions including We Are Africa, Cape Town Marathon and the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

Says De Reuck: “The Cape Town Stadium has transformed over the last two years, and now boasts a busy an exciting calendar of events for the future years. We welcome WP Rugby as our primary anchor tenant and look forward to creating value for the City of Cape Town and its residents in the future.”

The mutually beneficial partnership will see WP Rugby and the stadium collaborating in the future. The agreement is for an initial 39 year period with an option for WP Rugby to renew for a further two periods, giving a secure home ground for their teams.