https:\/\/FSC.org<\/a>) Stadium of Life, Africa’s first stadium constructed\u00a0with sustainably sourced timber. The structure, which sets a new standard for responsible construction practices in Africa, was independently certified by DNV Business Assurance against Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) requirements under project certification (DNV-PRO-002776).<\/p>\nThe FSC Stadium of Life is the latest development at the Kick4Life Centre, a hub of social\u00a0and economic\u00a0development in the heart of Maseru, Lesotho’s capital city.\u00a0The centre was first opened in 2011 as part of FIFA\u2019s legacy for the 2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup in South Africa, with this initial support from world football\u2019s governing body resulting in one of the world’s leading examples of a major tournament legacy achieving sustainable social impact.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s event brings together\u00a0stakeholders\u00a0from Lesotho and internationally, to learn about the unique approach to sustainable design and construction that was used for the FSC Stadium of Life, as well as learning how the facility supports the wider work of Kick4Life FC, as a charity, social enterprise and football club dedicated to social change.<\/p>\n
Gerard Busse, FSC\u2019s Africa and Middle East Regional Market Development Manager, says: \u201cProject certification verifies that the forest materials come from responsibly managed forests, ensuring the promotion of environmental stewardship and community development\u201d.<\/p>\n
Peter Alele, FSC\u2019s Africa Regional Director adds: \u201cThe project highlights the continent\u2019s potential to set global benchmarks in sustainable forestry, while demonstrating how responsible forest management can support wider social and economic development\u201d.<\/p>\n
Greg Markwell, Sales Manager for DNV Business Assurance Africa, says: \u201cWe\u2019re proud to have supported the FSC Stadium of Life through our independent certification, helping to give confidence that the timber used is responsibly sourced and traceable. This was a passion project for me personally and the vision reflects DNV\u2019s purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, and shows how sustainability and ingenuity can be embedded into landmark developments that deliver real community value \u2013 today and for generations to come\u201d.<\/p>\n
The design and construction process was led by Rise International through its \u2018in loco\u2019 design and build training programme, which supports the development of young professionals in the construction industry.<\/p>\n
Pedro Clarke, the project\u2019s lead architect at Rise International, says: \u201cAs the construction sector seeks materials with a lower carbon footprint, eyes are turning towards forest products\u201d.<\/p>\n
The stadium features 8,584 treated Eucalyptus poles, minimising concrete use and highlighting the potential of sustainable building materials. The poles were sourced from MTO Forestry\u2019s FSC-certified plantations in Mpumalanga, South Africa, and by using FSC-certified timber, the project directly supports responsible forestry practices.<\/p>\n
Daniela Gusman, Founder of Rise International, adds: \u201cThe Stadium of Life exemplifies a paradigm shift in sports infrastructure, combining sustainability, social impact, and cultural representation\u201d.<\/p>\n
The inclusion of a unique \u2018Biodiversity Stand\u2019 dedicated to showcasing diverse flora from across Lesotho\u2019s ten districts further highlights the important relationship between sport and nature, and will be used for community education about the importance of promoting biodiversity.\u00a0 A small outdoor amphitheatre \u2013 the Theatre of Life \u2013 has also been integrated, providing a stunning space for a wide range of educational sessions and cultural performances, and the opportunity to watch football through the lens of nature.<\/p>\n
Steve Fleming MBE, Co-founder of K4L, says: \u201cWith the 2026 FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup starting next month, we are proud to continue building on the legacy of Africa\u2019s first tournament 16 years ago. Since the initial investment of a centre through FIFA\u2019s \u201920 Centres for 2010\u2019 initiative, we have added a number of award-winning hospitality social\u00a0enterprises, including No.7 Restaurant and Hokahanya Hotel & Conference Centre, which generate income to sustain our sports-based community programmes, as well as providing training and employment opportunities for young people\u201d.<\/p>\n
Fleming continues: \u201cCombined with our health education, gender empowerment and life-skills development programmes, this pioneering\u00a0approach to organisational sustainability and livelihoods saw us recognised with the 2025 Laureus Sport for Good Award, and the FSC Stadium of Life is the latest development which continues to push new boundaries in Sport for Good and the sports industry as a whole\u201d.<\/p>\n
Motlatsi Nkhahle, Kick4Life\u2019s Country Director, adds: \u201cThe new facility will extend the impact of Kick4Life\u2019s existing centre, serving as a home ground for our football teams, including our women\u2019s team who became national champions of Lesotho in 2025, qualifying for the CAF Women\u2019s Champions League. Through the Kick4Life Academy, the facility\u00a0will also be used to prepare more young people – on and off the field – for genuinely\u00a0life-changing student-athlete scholarships at international universities\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The launch event will also provide an opportunity for guests to observe a Sport for Good exhibition on Kick4Life\u2019s 5-a-side pitch, with new artificial turf donated by SIS Pitches. There will also be an introduction to the centre\u2019s latest social enterprise\u00a0– Bophelo Gymnasium & Health Club, led by two young women who have been trained as gym and fitness instructors. Constructed using four repurposed shipping containers, the gym was developed as a part of\u00a0SESLA (Sport for Education and Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa) and the Sustained Insight and Impact Initiative, backed by the\u00a0Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the\u00a0International Olympic Committee (IOC), and\u00a0Agence Fran\u00e7aise de D\u00e9veloppement (AFD).<\/p>\n
Nkhahle concludes: \u201cThe FSC Stadium of Life is more than just a place to watch football; it is a destination that combines sport, nature, art, culture and social impact. It is an inspirational place where you can become part of a special community dedicated to building a brighter future for the children and young people of Lesotho\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MASERU, Lesotho, May 12, 2026\/APO Group\/ — Today marks the official\u00a0opening of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) (https:\/\/FSC.org) Stadium of Life, Africa’s first stadium constructed\u00a0with sustainably sourced timber. The structure, which sets a new standard for responsible construction practices in Africa, was independently certified by DNV Business Assurance against Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) requirements under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/large\/fbca510a7ccf300\/200\/200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/large\/fbca510a7ccf300\/200\/200","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}