The definitive guide to watching the Junior Springboks play at Athlone Stadium, by a son of Athlone, RYAN VREDE.
For context, I grew up in Athlone, and my parents still live there. I still play sports in Kewtown, where Athlone Stadium lives, and have been doing so for over three decades. This is my ‘hood. Here’s the best guide you’ll find to watching the Junior Boks in the World U20 Championship semi-final on Sunday.
1. Getting there
Sunday traffic should make this fairly easy, but get there early to avoid the congestion around the stadium. Ubers will drop you a short walk to the gate. Parking is limited and has been set up off Hickory Street, behind the stadium. Getting out of there after Tuesday’s match sucked. Patience is needed.
Don’t park outside of the designated parking areas, especially not in front of someone else’s home. Aunty Sharon gets visitors on a Sunday afternoon. That’s their parking spot and has been for decades.
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2. Safety
You’ll be fine.
Security is, however, limited, so be vigilant. It’s a short walk from the parking lot to the entrance gate, and there should be plenty of people walking to and from the stadium, so you’ll have safety in numbers. But don’t do stupid shit, like wander off to take pictures of your surroundings. Your “Find my phone” function will, well, find your phone after it’s taken. Getting it back from the people who have it is another matter altogether. You won’t.
If you’re catching an Uber home, do so from the stadium. Don’t walk to Klipfontein Road or anywhere else, especially if you’re in a small group or alone. As a child, I didn’t listen to my mother’s advice and walked to football practice alone. I miss those boots and that Liverpool jacket.
P.S. If a stranger with clear ill-intent asks you for the time, run. You don’t need to know the details. Trust me and run.
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3. In-stadium experience
There is no reserved seating. If you’re part of a big group, arrive early to secure multiple seats together. For some reason, they’re only using one stand. This may change for the semi-final.
It’s easy to access the toilets and bars, but food options are limited. So …
Eat before you arrive, or better yet, let Athlone feed you. A gatsby is overrated. Get a full-house masala steak, egg, and cheese sandwich at Golden Dish instead. Or go to Wembley Roadhouse for the double hotdog and chips. Wash it down with an avocado milkshake. Order some samoosas to eat while you wait (the cheese and corn is a personal favourite).
The steak salomi at Miriam’s Kitchen in Crawford is a gift from the culinary gods. The tikka chicken stand on the corner of Repulse and Belgravia roads looks dodgy, but it rocks.
Ahkni your thing? There’s a guy who sets up in College Road in Rylands, opposite the mini-mall. For clarity, there are two ahkni guys next to each other. The akhni on the left will disappoint you. The one on the right will have you driving from 30km away every Sunday for your fix.
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“The ATL” doesn’t cater to vegans. And asking for gluten-free anything is a waste of your time.
There are plenty of vendors to buy a drink from inside the stadium, but note that you’ll pay Camps Bay prices, despite being in Athlone. Come ready for extortion.
4. Leaving
Clearing out from the stadium is easy. Exiting the parking lot was a pain. Hopefully, they’ll streamline the process for the semi-final.
For a quicker getaway, don’t use Klipfontein Road. Instead, duck out via the “blokke” (sprawling blocks of flats) behind the stadium and see where the apartheid government sent some coloured folk after displacing them from their homes. Don’t say: “This isn’t so bad”. It is.
It’ll be dark when you leave and the potential for wild shit to happen increases exponentially at night. Move quickly, but watch out for the kids playing football in the street.
5. When you get home
Tell your friends and family that Athlone is epic.