DHL Stadium has officially become home to Western Province Rugby following the signing of an Anchor Tenant Agreement. This is a new and exciting chapter for the City of Cape Town, the stadium and WP Rugby.
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 DHL Stadium.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that having already experienced some special times at DHL 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 DHL 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.
"We are all looking forward to making more great memories at DHL Stadium in the years to come," he said.
Says Lesley De Reuck, CEO, Cape Town Stadium (RF) SOC Limited: “This is an exciting time for us. We are delighted that the DHL 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 DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province building a legacy at DHL Stadium.
“I look forward to watching the mighty DHL Stormers take on the world from their new home at DHL 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 DHL Stadium. These matches will include DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province games. It could also include any Springbok Test Matches allocated to WP Rugby by the South African Rugby Union.
Delivering on the mandate of being a multi-purpose stadium, the DHL 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, DHL 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 DHL 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.