A planned 3,000-seat football stadium primarily constructed from sustainably sourced timber is taking shape in Lesotho’s capital city of Maseru with completion on track for the December target.
Currently named the “Stadium of Life”, the project is being driven by a collaboration local charity and football club Kick4Life, non-profit organisation Relationships Inspiring Social Enterprise, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and certification body DNV.
A €75,000 (£64,000/$81,250) by FSC International has secured naming rights for the next five years when the stadium is built by the end of this year.
The venue is due to be unprecedented in several ways. It will be Africa’s first FSC-certified timber stadium and the first FSC-certified project in southern Africa.
“Project certification verifies that the forest materials come from responsibly managed forests, ensuring the promotion of environmental stewardship and community development,” said FSC Southern Africa marketing and communications manager Gerard Busse, as reported by Bizcommunity.
The wooden poles used in construction come from MTO Forestry’s FSC-certified plantations in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
By choosing FSC-certified timber, the project is said to directly support responsible forestry practices.
In addition to sport, the stadium is intended to serve as a multi-purpose hub for climate change education, gender empowerment, academic tutoring, health testing, a HIV testing and counselling unit, and entrepreneurship training.
Kick4Life is looking for three stadium sponsors, as well as sponsors for the educational facilities, cultural hub, HIV unit.
It has secured help from architecture company Populous which is providing architectural support and SIS Pitches which is providing an 11-a-side 4G artificial pitch.
Women’s and men’s teams are due to play at the stadium, while an aim of expanding community health and education activities for 5,000 children each year has been set.
A number of unique environmental features including integrated garden areas and the planting of more than 50 indigenous trees and shrubs in the surrounding grounds.
