The U. J. Esuene Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Calabar, Nigeria. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Calabar Rovers and previously Dolphins F.C.[1] The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 and was opened in 1977.[2]
History
The UJ Esuene Stadium was inaugurated on 2 April, 1977 with a match between Benin's Bendel Insurance F.C. and newly formed Calabar Rovers of Calabar. Two weeks later, the stadium hosted an international encounter between Enugu Rangers and Tonnerre Yaoundé - a game that featured the likes of Roger Milla, Christian Chukwu and Emmanuel Okala.
Games at the 2003 All-Africa Games were also played at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in October 2003, as were Nigeria's qualifiers for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. It was also shortlisted as a stadium for the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup and hosted eight games, including the South Korea-Nigeria quarterfinal.[3]
The stadium has been further upgraded to include an ultra-modern electronic video-matrix scoreboard, with impressive floodlights.
Notable football matches hosted
| Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Attendance | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 1999 |  Zambia |
4–3 |  Honduras |
12,000 | Group F |
 Spain |
2–0 |  Brazil
| |||
| 8 April 1999 | Zambia |
0–0 | Spain |
8,000 | |
| 14 April 1999 | Brazil |
4–0 |  Croatia |
12,000 | Round of 16 |
| Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Attendance | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 October 2009 |  Iran |
2–0 |  Gambia |
9,200 | Group C |
 Colombia |
2–1 |  Netherlands |
10,100 | ||
| 28 October 2009 | Netherlands |
2–1 | Gambia |
6,800 | |
| Iran |
0–0 | Colombia |
8,600 | ||
| 31 October 2009 | Gambia |
2–2 | 6,100 | ||
 New Zealand |
1–1 |  Turkey |
7,000 | Group D | |
| 5 November 2009 | Iran |
1–2 (a.e.t.) |  Uruguay |
3,600 | Round of 16 |
| 9 November 2009 |  South Korea |
1–3 |  Nigeria |
9,100 | Quarter-final |
References