Where England will get their World Cup campaign underway

England will get their World Cup campaign underway on the 12th June at 19.30 at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace  in Rustenburg.

Here is some history and facts on the stadium for you.

The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a rugby union, football and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa. It was originally built as a venue for the 1995 Rugby Union World Cup and was named after the Royal Bafokeng Nation, the tribe that is prominent in the area. Although originally built as a rugby stadium, the venue has been used for football more often than any other sport after the 1995 World Cup.
Like most football stadiums in South Africa, the ground belongs to the municipality in the area. The Bafokeng people are extremely rich because of platinum mining in the area and on their cultural land, and as a result of this, the stadium has been kept in very good repair. The capacity of the stadium was increased from 38,000 to 42,000 in preparation for the Confederations Cup and this year’s World Cup.

For the 2010 event, the West Stand was substantially upgraded, enlarged and given a new cantilever roof. Other improvements include the installation of new electronic scoreboards, new seats, the upgrading of the floodlights and public address system, which has rendered the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace ready to welcome the football supporters of the world.

The stadium was built in a saddle shape to reflect its natural surroundings and upgrades were completed in March 2009 for the hosting of four matches during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Situated between the bush of the Pilanesberg and the bright lights of Sun City, this stadium will be a big draw for safari-seeking World Cup tourists.

During the 2010 World Cup matches, the Bafokeng Plaza is scheduled to operate as a shopping complex but with strict conditions that comply with FIFA and the host city agreements. Post 2010, the stadium will continue to host other sporting activities in the maintenance of its existence.

Facts
- 4,000 extra seats were installed.

- New and improved floodlights, electronic scoreboards and a new Public Address system have been installed.

- The new cantilever roof was purchased at the cost of US$45 million.

- South African PSL team Platinum Stars play their home games at this stadium.

- The stadium is only 25 minutes away from world famous entertainment resort and complex, Sun City.
History

The stadium is named after the Bafokeng people who live in the area. In 1999, the Bafokeng won a legal battle, which entitled them to 20% of the platinum, which is mined on their historical land. This is the venue where Bafana Bafana recorded their first victory at the 2009 Confederations Cup, against New Zealand, thereby ensuring their qualification to the next round.

Getting There
The stadium is only a 25-minute drive to Sun City and 30 minutes to the Pilanesberg. It is 12 kilometres from Rustenburg city centre and can be reached easily via car and added bus routes, which will be made available during the event, with extra buses running on match days to accommodate fans arriving in Rustenburg from the other host cities. Rustenburg is 165km from Johannesburg on a major highway, and the trip will take around two hours.
Pilanesberg International Airport is not far from Rustenburg and the stadium, as it is next to Sun City resort. Although this airport is one of ACSA's smaller airports, there are daily connections to Cape Town (which is a two-and-a-half hours away) and to Johannesburg (a 30-minute journey). Flights around the time of the World Cup are likely to be in short supply however, due to the size of the airport.

Plus and Minuses
Pluses
- A very well maintained stadium, the venue is often commended for being an example to others in terms of management and care of the facilities.
- The pitch is usually very well taken care of and as a result the stadium presents one of the better pitches out of all the stadiums.
- Gaining access to the venue will be easier than in certain cities where the stadium is in the CBD, as the Royal Bafokeng Stadium is located away from the city centre.
Minuses
- Remember to bring a scarf, as the Royal Bafokeng Stadium can get mighty chilly on winter nights, with the open design leaving spectators at the mercy of the cold.
- The venue is the only World Cup stadium which has an athletics track built around the pitch, meaning that spectators are further away from the action than they would be at another arena.

There's a brief history on the first stadium, though I think most people will be watching the match on their tv's in homes, pubs, bars and clubs with a pint in hand!


'Charo'
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Some more World Cup 2010 facts for you

The FA has released the timeline of England’s World Cup preparations.


Capello will name what’s expected to be a 28 man provisional squad on May 16th, for a training camp in Irdning, Austria, why Austria? I’m not 100% sure, but my guess would be some sort of altitude acclimatization.
There will also be two friendly games: England vs Mexico at Wembley, possibly May 24th, plus: England vs Japan in Graz, Austria on May 30th. The actual England 23 man World Cup squad will then be named on June 1st before the squad travels to South Africa on June 2nd.

Here’s the timeline:

Sunday 9 May – Final day of the Premier League
Saturday 15 May – The FA Cup Final
Sunday 16 May – Austria squad announcement
Monday 17 May – Players meet and travel to Austria
Saturday 22 May – Champions League Final
Monday 24 May – England v Mexico, at Wembley Stadium
Date TBC – Squad will travel back to Austrian training camp
Sunday 30 May – Japan v England, 2.15pm, UPC-Arena in Graz. Following this match, squad returns to England
Tuesday 1 June – World Cup squad announcement
Wednesday 2 June – England players and staff meet and travel from London to South Africa
Thursday 3 June – England team arrive in South Africa

ITV to show first two England matches in South Africa

ITV and BBC have carved up the World Cup matches between them, and have come to an interesting agreement. ITV will show England’s opening two matches (as well as the opening match of the World Cup alltogether) in exchange for the first two knockout round matches (should England progress that far) which will be shown on BBC.


So basically, ITV have taken the guaranteed ratings over the potential goldmine of ratings that a Last 16 or Quarter-Final could produce.

Should England make the Semi-Final both sides will show the game, and both sides will show the final, regardless of who makes it.

 As a general rule, I don’t think there is much to chose between the coverage of the two sides – it depends on who they get in to do the punditry. In the past BBC have had the brilliance of Leonardo and Gordon Strachan, but they’ve also had Alan Shearer and Ian Wright. Meanwhile on ITV, they’ve had Terry Venables and Bobby Robson, but they’ve also had Teddy Sherringham and Ian Wright.

So we’ll have to wait and see. But it does make the WC feel closer already.




'Charo'
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Can it really be 20 years ago since these images were broadcast round the world after the loss in the Semi Final against Germany in 1990.

'Charo'
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I'm Printing for England
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World Cup Facts from the past!

Our current Match of the Day and Walkers Crisp star Gary Lineker won 80 caps for England and scored 48 goals. His six goals at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico won him the FIFA Golden shoe.

David Beckham  was sent off in the quarter final between Argentina and England, David Beckham kicks Diego Simeone and is sent off by the danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen.

England's fastest goal of the World Cup finals was June 1982, Bryan Robson in 27 seconds against France, end result 3 - 1.

Fewest goals scored to be champions of the World Cup, England 1966 - 11

Oldest Captain to appear for England was Peter Shilton 40 years and 292 days, July 7 1990 England vs Italy

Most goals scored in all finals was for England by Geoff Hurst, 3

England had the highest scoring draw with Belgium 4 - 4 in 1954

Most clean sheets without conceeding a goal was 10 by Peter Shilton 1982-1990

'Charo'
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12 facts why you should visit South Africa for the World Cup 2010

Adventure – White water rafting, hot air ballooning and shark diving will keep the most adventurous of visitors busy and enthralled at the possibilities.

Around South Africa In 30 Days - Come and see if you can travel to all nine host cities, and get a glimpse of all ten World Cup stadiums.

Fantastic Food – If you’re looking for some delicious prawns, or a scrumptious rack of ribs, look no further than the many fine cuisine establishments in South Africa, from Spur Steak Ranches to Ocean Basket seafood restaurants, your stomach will be mighty pleased you decided to come.

 

Cape Town – One of the world’s most stunning cities, if you are in South Africa for the World Cup the mother city is definitely a must on your travels – the sea and the mountains, in a place where the people are friendly and laid back and life is beautiful.

Portugal – Brazil – Probably the most anticipated game of the World Cup group stage, see these two teams fight it out in the fantastic Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Ellis/Coca Cola Park Stadium – The Johannesburg stadium is filled with history of South African football and rugby, and the event in June and July will add a few more pages to its illustrious past.

Pat A Lion On The Head – South Africa has numerous parks and sanctuaries where people can interact with and treat wild animals as pets, such as the Lion Park in Johannesburg, or the Rhino Park and Dewildt Cheetah Sanctuary near Rustenburg.

Gold And Diamonds – Gold and diamonds are an important part of South Africa’s history. Why not see if you are lucky enough to find some for yourself.

Have A Picnic – There are many beautiful parks, botanical gardens and nature areas where a day in the South African sun is best spent having a picnic and a kick around with friends and family.

Table Mountain – This stunning mountain is a must see. It stands at 1,086 m above sea level at its highest point, and is visible from 200km out at sea. The top part of the mountain is made up of rocks that were deposited by an ancient glacier hundreds of millions of years ago.

Stunning Beaches – From Clifton and Camps Bay in Cape Town, to Umhlanga and Ballito near Durban, South Africa’s beaches are beautiful and fun for the whole family is a guarantee.

See The Crowning Of A New King – Zinedine Zidane is no longer on the international stage, and in his absence other players will step up to the podium at the World Cup. Will Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo be the star, or is another player waiting in the wings to make history in South Africa.

Look out for more interesting facts as to why you should visit South Africa next week.

'Charo'
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Will Fabio Capello take any tips from coach Smithy?

Having watched Coach Smithy on Friday accepting his coach of the year award, will Fabio Cappello be able to take any tips and advice from the one and only Coach Smithy in getting the England team through to the world cup finals this year?

'Charo'
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CHARO'S WORLD CUP BLOG. She's Printing for England

SHE HAS LANDED BACK IN THE UK AFTER HER TRIP OUT TO SA.

EXPECT CHARO BEHIND HER DESK MONDAY!

Frank Golden
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Printing for England

Lots of activity in the pipeline including our own Print Hut Cup 2010. Shortly you can download not just our tracker, but also our very own 2010 World Cup tournament. Join in all the action predict who's going places in South Africa, earn pionts and win a CASH prize of over £100.00. For instance who will score Englands first goal, who will be the tournaments top scorer and loads of more flutters. Keep watching the home page for more info.

Looking for 25 players. Entry fee only a fiver and the other 50% of prize fund goes to the 'Charitable Chain'

Frank Golden
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Comming Soon on printhut.co.uk. PRINTING FOR ENGLAND

Comming very soon to printhut.co.uk will be all the news and gossip for the run up to this years Fifa World Cup (sorry that should have been FOFA- not allowed to use the name apparently) in South Africa. So important is this to our fine nation, that I have agreed for it to be our home page. Enter our flutter, guess who is going to win on 11th July at the Soccer City Stadium and get 100s of cash back prizes. Download our interactive wall chart 'IFS N BUTS'and dump it on your desktop and work out all possible consequences as the tournament progresses. And just to gear you all up click here for more info;http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/index.html

Print Hut! We're Printing for England! Site goes live in a few days

Frank Golden
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SWEET SA and the World Cup Year at Print Hut

No other sporting event captures the world's imagination like the World Cup.

Ever since the first tentative competition in Uruguay in 1930, FIFA's flagship has constantly grown in popularity and prestige.

Today, the FIFA World Cup™ holds the entire global public under its spell. An accumulated audience of over 37 billion people watched the France 98 tournament, including approximately 1.3 billion for the final alone, while over 2.7 million people flocked to watch the 64 matches in the French stadia.
After all these years and so many changes, however, the main focus of the FIFA World Cup™ remains the same - the glistening golden trophy, which is the embodiment of every footballer's ambition.

So just for a change and in recognition of a World Cup Year, Print Hut have handed over areas of the site, that contain relatively mundain Print Industry information (in contrast to World Cup Footy).
We have even renamed the site to http://www.sweetsa.co.uk/ where we have our very own Charo running Print Hut's World Cup Blog. We are also giving away 100's of cash back offers to customers who purchase Print from April to June 10th.

And we are allowing you to download absolutely Free our World Cup XLS World Cup Tracker  http://www.printhut.co.uk/Print_Hut_World_Cup_2010_Predictor.xls

So to summaraize, we are passionate about Our Unique Ultra Wholesale Printing and allowing our Customers Access to Real Trade Printing Costs for their Business Printing; from Business Cards to Flyers, from brochures to Leaflets, but we are equally excited about the forthcomming World Cup as well.
If you are not a Footy fan, please accept our apologies and just skip through our home page and read about our Printed Products and Services.

With Thanks, Frank Golden

St.Neots Mini Rugby Match Report Under 9's 7th March 2010

Two matches this Sunday down at the St.Neots Ground against a St.Ives team yet to win a match. Were St.Neots going to send them  back up the Ouse without a paddle or were we going to let them sail through our defence and anchor up on our line.

Well in actual fact it was a bit off both! The first game saw us come out a little sleepy yet again with the boys not linking up sufficiently to pass the ball across the park. High tackling and panic passing gave possession to our 'visting losers' too often in the first half and to add to this the forwards got punished too often for lack of discipline. However, when we found space, passed accurately and got the ball out to the wings the tries turned up. Through the centre we also played well with Jaydon making good ground. Frankie also found some form with good passing and some solid defence work. Liam as always answered his critics with some fantastic solo runs. The score ended at 6-4 to the home team

The second game saw again the high tackles comming in from St.Neots and gapping holes appearing in our defence when the 'must get' tackles were missed. St Ives capitalised and St. Neots found themselves pionts down with a 5 minutes to go. St Neots squared the score with the forwards working hard on their line and Daniel driving over to secure a well earnt try. A final run to their line by St.Neots ending with us camped out 5 yards from the St.Ives line, but lost control of the maul and St.Ives finished us off with a fine solo run and the whistle blew.

So all in all a mixed bag by St.Neots. In Bryans' Summary it was reiterated about high tackling and discipline. Player of the week went to Frankie and though a dissappionting result Bryan wasn't short of praise for lots of individual hard work and effort. 'What we all want to see is team work with each player thinking about the support they have around them.'

Frank Golden

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International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day, so feel proud to be a woman for the day!!

Charlotte Abbott

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