U. J. Esuene Stadium
The U. J. Esuene Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Calabar, Nigeria. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Calabar Rovers and previously Dolphins F.C.[1] The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 and was opened in 1977. [2]
Full name | Udokaha Jacob Esuene Stadium |
---|---|
Location | Calabar, Nigeria |
Coordinates | 4.9677°N 8.3269°E |
Capacity | 16,000 |
Opened | 1977 |
Tenants | |
Calabar Rovers |
History
The UJ Esuene Stadium was inaugurated on the 2 April 1977 with a match between Benin's Bendel Insurance F.C. and newly formed Calabar Rovers of Calabar. Two weeks later, the stadium hosted an international encounter between Enugu Rangers and Tonnerre Yaoundé - a game that featured the likes of Roger Milla, Christian Chukwu and Emmanuel Okala.
Games at the 2003 All-Africa Games were also played at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in October 2003, as were Nigeria's qualifiers for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. It was also short-listed as a stadium for the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[3]
The stadium has been further upgraded to include an ultra modern electronic video-matrix scoreboard, with impressive floodlights.
Notable football matches hosted
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Attendance | Round |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 April 1999 | Zambia | 4–3 | Honduras | 12,000 | Group F |
Spain | 2–0 | Brazil | |||
8 April 1999 | Zambia | 0–0 | Spain | 8,000 | |
14 April 1999 | Brazil | 4–0 | Croatia | 12,000 | Round of 16 |
2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Attendance | Round |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 October 2009 | Iran | 2–0 | Gambia | 9,200 | Group C |
Colombia | 2–1 | Netherlands | 10,100 | ||
28 October 2009 | Netherlands | 2–1 | Gambia | 6,800 | |
Iran | 0–0 | Colombia | 8,600 | ||
31 October 2009 | Gambia | 2–2 | 6,100 | ||
New Zealand | 1–1 | Turkey | 7,000 | Group D | |
5 November 2009 | Iran | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Uruguay | 3,600 | Round of 16 |
9 November 2009 | South Korea | 1–3 | Nigeria | 9,100 | Quarter-final |
References