Under siege from the perception that their home has become undesirable, the bosses at Ellis Park have been on the counter offensive to shift minds, if not win hearts.
The notion that the Ellis Park precinct is dangerous is one that particularly rankles with the top brass at the Lions, especially in light of recent poor attendances at the stadium. In fact, this week they invited the media to one of their security cluster briefings to address the matter.
It included officials from the major law enforcement agencies as well as security companies who have boots on the ground on match day.
They all spoke, with a degree of passion, about how seriously they take their task and how they seek to make improvements. The unambiguous message, however, was that the precinct was safe and that any perception to the contrary should be debunked.
An official from the South African Police Service was keen to remind that no homicides had taken place inside the precinct for at least a decade. He conceded, however, that some petty crime still occurred but that when items, especially mobile phones, are reported missing they are usually as a result of absent mindedness or negligence.
All were in agreement that spectators travelling to Ellis Park could arrive better informed and perhaps take greater responsibility for their actions on match day.
Officials from the Lions and the JMPD warned that fans should try to avoid car guards outside the periphery of the precinct. A JMPD official referred to them as “a problem” and could not fathom why fans would part with money for an unauthorised “service”.
He warned that motorists have no recourse if their car is damaged or stolen after being parked illegally.
The Lions were happy to remind that the precinct has parking for 40,000 spectators.
Completed in 1982 at a cost of R33m, it is Ellis Park Stadium, and not the precinct, that has occupied a unique place in the consciousness of the South African sports fans.
Access to the stadium, however, is an issue fans want addressed. The Lions were keen to remind that timely arrivals and departures would make for a more enriching experience, while conceding there are limitations to what they can do beyond the boundaries of the precinct.
They know their efforts to restore the Ellis Park precinct in the general consciousness as a venue of relevance and reverence is inextricably linked with the general state of the surrounding suburbs — particularly those on the routes to the stadium.
Non-functioning traffic lights cause unease on the periphery of the precinct as do the pot holes that dot the access roads. In that regard the Lions are in discussion with the municipality as part of the general maintenance and upkeep of the areas around Ellis Park. The Lions are also involved in wider initiatives to uplift the communities around the precinct but their efforts have to be in collaboration with the city.
On that front they have been frustrated as the political tides that dictate how the city is run have had a start-stop effect.
The Lions have certainly played their part in creating an oasis in an encroaching sea of urban decay. They fork out about R7m a month on security and maintenance of the precinct that includes Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Stadium, the Standard Bank Arena, and the Ellis Park tennis courts.
It is a much underutilised multi purposed facility.
Completed in 1982 at a cost of R33m, it is Ellis Park Stadium, and not the precinct, that has occupied a unique place in the consciousness of the South African sports fans.
It’s soil has soaked up tears of joy and sorrow. It stands as monument to sporting achievement, most notably the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup triumph in 1995, but also memorial to those who lost their lives on the occasion of the Soweto Derby in 2001.
The Springboks play the All Blacks there at the end of August and the stadium will no doubt buzz. In the meantime, however, Lions’ fans should perhaps pay less attention to the things that might keep them away from Doornfontein, and focus on the thing that unites them.
They may well all agree, once inside, Ellis Park remains a world-class stadium with a playing surface to match.
There are economic and logistical reasons why the Lions will continue to call it their den.
Moreover, Ellis Park is the spiritual home of the Springboks, perhaps even more so now that Newlands has been consigned to the mists of time.
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