Ongwediva
The Omuthiya Town Council, with the potential support of kind-hearted donors, plans to build a multi-million dollar international standard football stadium in the town.
The future world-class stadium, to be fitted with artificial turf, is aimed at attracting international matches and events to Omuthiya, which is the capital of Oshikoto Region.
Work on the project is expected to start in earnest by the end of this month once the multimillion-dollar girls centre, currently under construction at the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Football House in Windhoek, is completed.
The stadium will be built in partnership with the country’s football governing body the NFA, and the Namibian government, with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ).
This noble venture forms part of the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) funded projects in the country and will be built on three hectares behind the church in Omuthiya.
As it stands, football matches in Omuthiya are played on a substandard gravel field situated close to the town’s commercial area.
The CEO of the Omuthiya Town Council, Samuel Mbango, says the construction has been approved and council is busy de-bushing the allocated area at Extension 8.
On behalf of the council, Mbango appealed to corporate business and potential financial sponsors to come on board to ensure the dream to build the stadium is realised.
For starters, the council has put aside an amount of N$1.3 million from the 2015/2016 budget that will be used to fence off the designated area.
“We are appealing to potential sponsors to come on board and assist the council,” said Mbango.
In addition, Mbango said, the council is busy installing sewerage systems, water pipes and electricity lines at the designated piece of land, in addition to planning a gravel road, which is expected to be completed by November this year.
According to Mbango, the stadium will have the potential to attract lots of games to the town and thereby generate benefits for the local economy.
The NFA public relations officer, Fire Vatilifa, expressed his delight at the prospect of the stadium, which he said would be the 5th project to be funded by FIFA in the country. Completion of the facility is set for June next year.