Nigerian Soccer team to make Ballito their home base during 2010 Soccer World Cup

Word on the street in my small, but bustling hometown of Ballito, on the KZN north coast, is that we will be hosting the Nigerian Football team during the 2010 FIFA world cup. The Super Eagles, ranked 2nd in Africa and 15th in the world, have selected Ballito as their home town for the duration of the world cup. All of the Nigerian players in the national squad are based overseas, with the top players playing for teams like Chelsea and Everton in the UK.

The team have 1 match in Durban, against Korea Republic, while the other 2 will be played in Joburg and Bloemfontein (both less than an hour by plane)

The team has secured the rights to use the Ashton International College fields, which will be upgraded at the cost of a couple of million, to include floodlighting and a full on FIFA regulated pitch. The team will apparently staying at the new Hampshire Hotel in Ballito, which has recently been completed.

As we get closer to the World cup, I’m really excited by the prospects it has to over, even to our small, bustling little town :)