“We are here to stay. We have no intention of abandoning Doornfontein and its people,” insisted Lions Rugby Company majority shareholder and chairman Altmann Allers.
Dwindling attendance figures at Ellis Park have been a topic of hot debate in recent times. The 62,000-capacity ground drew 6,500 spectators on average in last year’s United Rugby Championship (URC), the lowest among South African franchises, while this season’s figures, despite a distinct upswing in the team’s form, have been underwhelming.
The urban decay that has taken root around the precinct has done little to uplift spectators’ match-day experience. Potholes, out of order traffic lights and poor post- match street illumination are among spectators’ concerns.
The perception that travelling to Ellis Park is dangerous, however, is a notion the stadium’s MD Pieter Burger is keen to dispel. He argues people conflate metro and match venue crime figures.
“When there are incidents of crime in Sunnyside near Loftus, or the Waterfront, people don’t blame the Bulls or the Stormers,” he said, adding that in the three years he’s held the job at Ellis Park, only one car has been reported stolen.
Best rugby stadium in SA
“It’s not a criminal neighbourhood,” Allers said about Doornfontein. “People are not randomly firing at you. It is merely a poor neighbourhood with everyday hardships. This is the best rugby stadium in South Africa, and probably one of the top three in the world.
It’s not a criminal neighbourhood. People are not randomly firing at you. It is merely a poor neighbourhood with everyday hardships
— Altmann Allers, Lions chair and majority shareholder
“There is no denying we are affected by the regress in the neighbouring suburbs. The access roads to Ellis Park are not of the same standard as those to other stadiums. We have crumbling infrastructure around us that a lick of paint won’t solve.”
Allers said the shortcomings at the Ellis Park Precinct rest outside his responsibilities and capability.
Burger explained that, apart from their discussions with the municipality, the creation of a district alliance — a forum consisting of business owners from the area — will help address concerns.
Ellis Park, though, has a monkey on its back.
“I think the moment you start working with coalition governments things get complex,” said Burger about the failing infrastructure around the precinct. “When you need to get approval you have to deal with people who can’t stand to be in the same room with each other.
“It is not unique to Johannesburg but you see it at other metros. Do we have a good relationship with local government and other stakeholders? Yes we do. We have a meeting scheduled with the premier and the head of Gauteng police and security.”
Costly upkeep
Allers has done as much as he could to secure and maintain Ellis Park Stadium and the wider precinct that includes Johannesburg Stadium, the Standard Bank Arena, Ellis Park tennis stadium and swimming pool.
“We pay about R7m a month for the hosting of matches, security and other related costs. To clean up and keep the precinct clean costs between R400,000 and R500,000 a month. Income has not grown the way expenses have,” he said.
Allers said they needed 10,000 spectators a game to break even. And, despite that cost and poor attendance, it still makes financial sense for the Lions to stay put. “Our sponsors, suite holders will ask ‘what are you doing?’ Emirates Airlines are the naming rights holders of the stadium. We’d have to reimburse them for every game we play away from Ellis Park,” he said.
Tournament participation agreements also preclude a move.
Allers is hopeful spectators will soon return in larger numbers. “Even if you had Beyoncé performing at Ellis Park on December 16, in the rain, I doubt we’d get a big attendance,” he said about the 2,500 people that attended their last home match.
“And truth be told, the EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby) advertise very little. They do on SuperSport and nine times out of 10 that is seen by the person who opts to stay at home. Not enough is being done in other media to promote the tournament.
“It would be so wrong to close Ellis Park. What would be the message we are sending to the people and the vendors of that area? ‘We are abandoning you.’”
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