Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE upgrade of the National Sports Stadium (NSS) to meet international standards is progressing well, with the installation of buckets seat having commenced.
The NSS has been closed for a while, however, fans might not wait much longer to catch a glimpse of action in the country’s biggest stadium as renovations are progressing.
The Warriors, the Mighty Warriors and clubs participating in the inter club competitions have had to host matches outside the country due to a lack of CAF approved venue in the country.
That could soon be a problem of the past as one of the key challenges at the venue is now being addressed, the issue of bucket seats.
Engineers on-site are busy installing bucket seats at the facility to ensure it meets international standards.
Currently, they are working on the VIP area which is Bays 15-18 before they also focus on the VVIP section which is housed inside Bay 17.
Bay 19 which is part of the rest of ground has already been fitted with the bucket seats.
The engineers on site have already invited the ZIFA First Instance Board (FIB) which is in charge of implementing the CAF stadium requirements.
The FIB was satisfied with the way the seats are being installed and went on to invite CAF inspectors who are expected in the country early January to assess progress and give recommendations if any, before moving onto the rest of the facility.
The seats were purchased through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between government and Sakunda Holdings.
Other areas of concern at the stadium are also being addressed, with the water reticulation system nearing completion after new pipes were installed.
Electronic turnstiles have been erected at the main gate while Close Circuit Television cameras (CCTV) have been put up.
With the way the engineers are working, very soon football will return to the National Sports Stadium, it is the festive season but the constructors have put that aside to make sure they meet deadlines.
