Chippa United Set For Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Return Against Sundowns
Sportswire can confirm that Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be ready next month to host Chippa United’s Betway Premiership fixture against Mamelodi Sundowns on 12 September.
Municipal authorities in Nelson Mandela Bay informed the club that the stadium upgrade will wrap up in time for the high-profile encounter, as it has been closed for the entire month of August.
Due to ongoing maintenance at both Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and Buffalo City Stadium, Chippa United have had to play their home fixtures at neutral venues:
- 11 August: Played Richards Bay at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto (1-1 draw).
- 16 August: Hosted Orlando Pirates at Kings Park Stadium in Durban (3-0 loss).
The Eastern Cape side face newly promoted Milford FC on 5 September in their final fixture before the Sundowns clash. The club has yet to confirm the venue for the Milford match, though another neutral ground remains likely.
Following Sunday’s defeat against Orlando Pirates in Durban, Chippa United head coach Brandon Truter—who is winless in four matches—admitted the displaced home games are significantly hurting his squad.
“It makes it massively difficult for me,” Truter explained.
“Where we go, it is a two-flight [journey], it’s a load. Once you get out of the flight, you are sitting down and you recover. So, how many times do you spend time on recovery before you work on tactics, before you work on fitness, before you work on that? You then need to acclimatise, coming from coastal to inland. It is another factor.
“We played at Dobsonville Stadium in the rain. From inland, coming back to Durban again, again the coast; so, it’s a lot of things we need to look at.”
As the Eastern Cape’s sole top-flight representative, the Chilli Boys face a grueling travel schedule compared to other teams.
“Not having a home venue, it plays a big role. Getting familiar with conditions, getting familiar with the pitch, getting familiar with the atmosphere – where you play, either inland or coastal, plays a part.
“The travelling, as well, does have an effect on the boys,” added Truter.
Chippa United currently occupy 13th place in the Betway Premiership table with two points from three matches.
