A TOUR TO THE UJE STADIUM CALABAR

 

History of Calabar Stadium

The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 and opened in 1977. It has been short-listed as a stadium for the 2009 FIFA U-17 world cup. The U.J. Esuene stadium inaugurated on the 2^nd April 1977 with a match between Bennis Bendel Insurance F.C. and newly formed Calabar Rovers of Calabar.

 

Calabar is the capital of Cross Rivers State Nigeria. It was originally zone/port, an international airport and seaport, an indegraded sports stadium complex of Calabar, a slave history park and several historical and cultural landmasses. The multi-purpose stadium is named after the Late Brigadier Udoakaha Jacob Esuene, who was an air force officer who became military governor of South-Eastern State (now known as Cross River State).

Safety/security

This is a very safe location

What to bring

Before heading to U. J Esuene stadium here are some helpful things to take along with you.

-         Your football kits

-         Your team jersey

-         Shades for those afternoon matches

-         Cash for entry tickets

-         Your squad

Things to do while at U. J. Esuene Stadium

These are the following things you can do while you are here:

-         Watch to live local or international match

-         Experience Calabar and its social events

-         Experience Athletics displays and other sporting events.

Best Features

A conducive stadium where comfort is prioritized for spectators, it has also hosted a lot of social and political events where a number of historic events have taken place. Calabar stadium celebrates its workers on may day.

Nigeria vs Liberia showdown at U. J. Esuene Sports stadium in Calabar. Liberia entertainment Oct 12, 2012.

 

We have the state box which is divided into three (3)

-         VIP

-         Cover stand and

-         Press gallery

In cover stand we have left and right (both sides). The stadium comprises the football peach. We also have the seating capacity of the stadium which is 20,000, we have the track where we do athletes activities.

 

In U. J. Esuene stadium we also have four (4) camera stand two at the state box while we have two (2) at the popular side. We also have the landing foam used for long jump. The dressing room (room and away team, doping room where they are being testing) and the referee changing room. We also have other sporting events places

-         Medical centre

-         Table-tennis courts

-         Hand ball courts

-         Wrestling gym

 

Medical center – In Calabar stadium we have a medical center that provides medical and surgical care.

 

Basketball court – The basket ball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets of each end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often mangle, and highly polished and completed with a 10-foot rim.

 

Table-tennis hall – The game was invented in England in the early days of the 20^th century and was originally called pin-pong, a trade name. the name tabl tennis was adopted in 1921-22 when the old ping-pong Association formed in 1902 was revived. Ivor Montage the founder father of table tennis (1904-1984).

 

One of the many things that any aspiring table-tennis player must learn, to become a good player is the different types of table tennis equipment used. There are four () basic pieces of equipment that include the ball, racket, or paddle, table and net.

 

Ball – it weights 2.7 grams. It is a small celluloid ball that is white or orange in colour, depending on the preference of the player.

 

Racket – the table tennis racket or paddle is another important piece of equipment. It is sued to hit the ball and forth on the table. The shape is similar to the one used for tennis.

 

Table-tennis table – the ITTF specifies that the official table tennis table used in the tournament must be 9 ft long, 5 ft wide, and must be placed 30 inches above the ground. They come in either green, blue, or black colour and are made from hardboard. The surface must be smooth to provide the lowest friction possible.

 

Net – it should be six feet long and six inches wide. It should have an upper white tape that is not more than 15mm wide

 

Handball court- handball is indoor or outdoor game played by striking a ball against a wall or walls with the palm of the hand.

 

Wrestling gym – This usually involves two people to get physically fit, increases cardiovascular endurance, it develops both functional strengths.

In Calabar stadium we also have two (2) training peach outside the state box mainly for training while the one inside the main playing peach is for matches, they also have four (4) flood light.

The stadium is being divided into zones

The seating capacity

Gate A

Gate B

Gate C

Gate D

Gate E

Gate F

Press Gallery - is a stand where the necessary information is being passed. Also, steeplechase – a horse race across country, one of the obstacles for events hurdles.

 

We also have the courts two upright with a gym. Also, Manuel skull board, in stadium we also have stadium hostel.

 

THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE CALABAR STADIUM

1.     POOR MAINTENANCE OF THE FACILITIES

Facilities like the racket, table tennis table, chairs, doors or lighting mechanism (bulb) might get damage due to poor maintenance of thereby reducing the beauty and efficiency of the stadium.

 

2.     LACK OF WORKERS

Lack of workers is also one of problem that can been seen in a stadium like U.J Stadium. Lack of workers in the medical or testing room can reduce the efficiency or delivery service of that unit.

 

3.     LIMITED SPACE FOR CAR PARK

The space provided for participants and guest to park their vehicles is limited which can cause congestion or traffic as a result of participants parking on the road.

 

4.     Lack of security personnel’s

Lack of security personnel’s in the stadium might cause increase in theft of participant vehicles or stadium facilities and as well free access by an unauthorized person to areas restricted.

 

5.     DIFFERENT AREAS OF ACCESS

Stadiums often have several areas within that require varied levels of security. Areas such as practice fields, locker rooms, and healthcare facilities that are accessible to athletes and staff shouldn’t be made accessible to attendees, while stadium employees require their own set of accesses to concessions, ticketing, and other locations. On some occasions, such as concerts, ticketed attendees may require special permissions to access the field, while on other occasions visitors may be denied field entry. And most stadiums have VIP areas that are not only rendered inaccessible to non-VIPs, but also to certain members of staff—problems can occur if employees gain access to empty VIP areas and make use of those facilities to relax. Ensuring that all of these separate areas are easily accessible for authorized persons but secured against those without access—when keys and keycards for these areas may number in the thousands—is a major issue for stadiums.

Security Across a Large Venue Installing access control that functions for a large facility such as a stadium is a massive undertaking. The varied areas of access each require their own security, with their own set of authorized users. Some users may be authorized for areas across the stadium from each other, but not for areas in the middle (such as VIPs with access to boxes, but not to concessions or maintenance areas).

 

6.     TEMPORARY ACCESS

Stadiums often require temporary access to specific areas—whether for contractors doing temporary work, a team using the venue for a one-time event like a concert or trade show, or VIPs requiring one-time access to normally secured areas. A key control system that easily provides this temporary access—preprogrammed or programmed at the key control cabinet—while also providing security with notifications that keys have been temporarily used and when those keys are removed to prevent fraud—can help ensure simple access for temporary users while maintaining high levels of security. In addition, many key control systems offer two- or three-factor authentication, giving another layer of security to temporary authorizations by requiring that a second or third person authorize the usage and verify the key replacement.

 

RECOMMENDATION TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT CONCERNING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY CALABAR STADIUM

1.     The government should try their best to replace warn out or damaged equipment in the stadium.

2.     The government should employ more work force

3.     They should improve on the funding’s of the stadium

4.     The government should also try to increase the standard of security in the stadium.

5.     The government should also endeavor to create more room for were vehicles will be parked.