Sport has proved to
be a brilliant way of bringing together the people of South Africa
and various steps to break down the established racial stereotypes
of certain sports have been taken and seem to be working well. Most
recently, the awarding of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
to South Africa has created ripples of celebration and excitement
throughout the whole population, especially following the disappointment
of losing the 2006 bid to Germany. Football has a primarily black
following and is largely seen as a sport that resists integration.
It is hoped that 2010 will conquer these observations.
The majority of the top football teams are based
in Johannesburg. The top local teams, Ajax
Cape Town and Santos feature strongly in the national Castle
Premiership league. Football’s governing body, based at Hartleyvale
Stadium, Willow Road, Observatory (telephone: (021) 448 8652), is
the Western Province Football Association (telephone: (021) 448
1649).
Other well liked sports in Cape Town include cricket,
rugby and horse racing.
Cricket was given a great uplift after South Africa
beneficially hosted the World Cup Cricket in 2003. With a strong
English colonial history, Cape Town is 1 of the primary feeding
grounds for the South African international cricket squad, the Proteas.
The home of Western Province cricket is located at the Newlands
Cricket Ground, 146 Campground Road, Newlands, where the governing
body is situated.
Western Province Cricket Association
Address: 161 Campground Road
Telephone: (021) 657 2003
Facsimile: (021) 657 2020
Email address: info@wpca.co.za
Website address: www.wpca.cricket.org
Matches are played most weekends during the summer, with international
tests between South Africa and its main rivals frequently on the
agenda. Night cricket is also 1 of the most popular pastimes in
Cape Town and a good reason to down beer and cheer at every ball
that gets hit.
Cape Town is home to 1 of rugby’s most famous
teams, the
Stormers, who compete with New Zealand and Australian and rivals
for the top of the Super 12 Log. Newlands Stadium, 11 Boundary Road,
Newlands, is home to these local heroes in addition to the comprehensive
SA Rugby Museum (telephone: (021) 659 6768, facsimile: (021) 686
2151), which is situated on the ground floor of the Sport Science
Institute, guided tours of the stadium are also available. The home
union is the Western
Province Rugby Football Union (telephone: (021) 659 4600, facsimile:
(021) 659 4601).
Horse racing is as much
a social event in Cape Town as it is a sporting 1. The hugely popular
yearly J&B Met is held at the Kenilworth Race Track, Rosmead
Avenue.
Tickets to sporting events are accessible for purchase from Computicket
(telephone: (083) 915 8000, email address: info@computicket.com).
Adventure Sports
The fantastic natural setting of the city means
that adventurous sports enjoy a huge following. There are many operators
who offer a range of adventure sports, from hiking to bungee jumping,
rock climbing to sky diving, mountain biking to abseiling,
surfing to shark diving and canyoning (known locally as ‘kloofing’,
which entails hiking into remote mountain ranges and then swimming
and jumping down the gorges).
Daytrippers
(telephone: (021) 511 4766, facsimile: (021) 511 4768, email address:
info@daytrippers.co.za)
offers hiking and kloofing tours, while Adventure
Village Adventure Village (telephone: (021) 424 1580, facsimile:
(021) 424 1590, email address: info@adventure-village.co.za)
offers a full range of tours, expeditions, adventure and extreme
sports options, including daily abseiling expeditions down the sheer
faces of Table Mountain.
Fitness
Centres
Virgin Active
(telephone: (0860) 200 911) has the monopoly on the fitness centres
around the Western Cape, each offering a selection of facilities,
including swimming, gym, squash, tennis and other sports.
The city centre club is situated on the Foreshore, 21 Lower
Long Street (telephone: (021) 421 5857, facsimile: (021) 419 7319)
and includes toning, a pool, squash, free weights, aerobics and
cardio circuits, sauna and steam bath facilities. Other club locations
include Claremont, corner of Main Road and Brooke Street (telephone:
(021) 683 2402), Constantia, Main Road (telephone: (021) 794 5010),
Durbanville Palmgrove Centre, corner of Main Road and Church Street
(telephone: (021) 975 5210) and N1 City Value Centre, N1 Goodwood
(telephone: (021) 595 3030). A 1 day guest fee is R 75.
Golf
There are numerous golf courses in and around Cape
Town and several are open to the public. The Western
Province Golf Union, Mowbray Golf Club, Raapenberg Road, Pinelands
(telephone: (021) 686 1668, facsimile: (021) 686 1669, email address:
wpga@global.co.za) can provide
further information.
18 hole golf courses
that are open to the public include the Rondebosch
Golf Club, 3 Klipfontein Road (telephone: (021) 689 4176/7,
facsimile: (021) 685 1447, email address: rgc@mweb.co.za),
the Royal
Cape Golf Club, 174 Ottery Road, Wynberg (telephone: (021) 761
6551, facsimile: (021) 797 5246, email address: bookings@royalcapegolf.co.za),
and the Clovelly
Country Club, Clovelly Road, Clovelly (telephone: (021) 782
1118, facsimile: (021) 782 6853, email address: clubhouse@clovelly.co.za).
Green fees vary from R 200 to R 500 for non members,
depending on the club and season (high season is from 1 October
to 30 April). Further afield, Spier
Country Club, situated off the R44 toward Stellenbosch (telephone:
(021) 809 1100, email address: info@spier.co.za),
is an 18 hole course situated beneath the Helderberg Mountain range,
with green fees of R 200 for non members.
Swimming
The Cape Town City Council’s call centre
(telephone: (086) 010 3089) can provide information on Cape Town’s
public swimming pools. Newlands Swimming Pool, Sans Souci Road,
Newlands (telephone: (021) 674 4197), is the centre of competitive
swimming, diving and water polo. The Long Street Baths, Long Street
(telephone: (021) 400 3302), is an indoor, heated pool, adjacent
to the Turkish Baths (telephone: (021) 423 9849). Entrance to the
pools is R 10.
Several Virgin Active clubs provide brilliant swimming
facilities. The Camps Bay Tidal Pool, Camps Bay beach (telephone:
(021) 434 3341), provides alfresco bathing possibilities. The best
beach swimming is in the False Bay, at Fish Hoek or the St James
tidal pool, although swimmers are advised not to venture out too
far as this is shark territory. Bathers should be cautious at all
times and not swim at deserted locations.
Tennis
Although there are scores of recreational tennis clubs dotted around
Cape Town, it is very difficult to access the courts unless accompanied
by a member. Many of the golf clubs also provide
tennis and lawn bowl facilities. Likewise, many of the Virgin Active
clubs also provide tennis courts, as do numerous major hotels. Tennis
Western Province, Lovers Walk, Rondebosch (telephone: (021) 686
3055, facsimile: (021) 685 5293) can provide further information.
Watersports
Cape Town is an tremendously popular destination
for watersports enthusiasts. Zandvlei, in Muizenberg, is still quite
popular with small craft yachting and windsurfing although it is
largely considered a learning ground for beginners. Hardcore wave
freaks choose to brave the breakers off Milnerton, Bloubergstrand,
Long Beach and Cape Point or the Dungeons off Hout Bay. Although
conditions can be brilliant, False Bay is considered somewhat dangerous,
as this is the favourite spot for other watersports enthusiasts,
specifically Great White Sharks.
Downhill
Adventures, Shop 10 Overbeek Building, corner of Kloof, Long
and Orange Streets (telephone: (021) 422 0388, facsimile: (021)
423 0127) offers day and multi day surfing courses
with instruction and equipment provided, including lunch and transport.
Table
Bay Diving, Shop 7, Quay 5, V&A Waterfront (telephone: (021)
419 8822, email address: info@tablebaydiving.com)
organises diving charters (including wreck, deep,
reef, night and shark cage diving) as well as diving courses. Equipment
is available to purchase or hire.
Ocean yachting largely takes place in the Table
Bay and False Bay, with regattas held every Wednesday in summer,
with the start point at the Royal
Cape Yacht Club, Duncan Road, Table Bay (telephone: (021) 421
1354, facsimile: (021) 421 6028, email address: info@rcyc.co.za).
The Wind Report (telephone: (082) 234 6300) provides frequent updates
on the wind situation, while the Surf Report (telephone: (021) 788
1350) keeps surfers up to date on wave conditions around the peninsula.
Surfing information and tips are also available online. |
