It is the home of Chippa United Football Club and formerly of rugby union team Southern Kings.

The EPRU Stadium was often problematic for soccer, as it normally hosts rugby matches, thus the playing surface was not of a great standard.

The Nelson Mandela Bay area is made up of the city of Port Elizabeth, the towns of Uitenhage and Despatch, as well as smaller settlements.

The stadium was designed by the Department of Public Works' National Construction Week Programme in 2006 with student from Holy Cross High School Thina Dlulane, Yandisa Dalamba, Inga Ngalonkulu and Siyabonga Nyezi from Umtata.

The stadium building is approximately 40m high and consists of six levels on the western side in addition to five on each of the north, south and east stands.

The stadium boasts 49 hospitality suites, two business lounges, a gymnasium, and lecture and function rooms.

Following the World Cup, a Desso GrassMaster system was installed, due to the high workload of hosting both soccer and rugby matches.

The pitch is maintained by a group of 5 people, who work day and night to ensure the quality of the playing surface.

A unit with 6 1,000 watt bulbs is used to help certain parts of the pitch covered by shadow due to the stadium roof.

The construction process has also included extensive use of local suppliers and experts in conjunction with international specialists, ensuring that adequate skills transfer take place.

[9] As with other World Cup stadia in South Africa, construction costs for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium spiralled substantially.

The South African leg of the IRB Sevens World Series was up for tender in late 2010, and the Eastern Province Rugby Union announced an intention to host the event.

[14] Ultimately, SARU announced that Port Elizabeth had won the bidding for hosting rights, and would hold the event at the stadium from 2011 forward.

However, the Libyan Civil War in 2011 led that country, which initially won 2013 hosting rights, to swap dates with South Africa.

The Nelson Mandela Bay regional branch of SAFA is headquartered at the stadium, having moved from Gelvandale.

Santos 'hosted' Kaizer Chiefs at the stadium, as no venue was available in the Western Cape due to World Cup renovations.

[29] On 28 February 2010, Orlando Pirates 'hosted' Gaborone United in the second leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

This included local music acts, a junior football match, and the unveiling of the stadiums official plaque.

On 16 June 2009 (Youth Day in South Africa), the stadium played host to a British & Irish Lions tour match.

[36] On 19 September 2009, Eastern Province, then known as the Mighty Elephants, played their first Currie Cup First Division game at the stadium.

On 26 February 2010, Eastern Province played the Pampas XV (an Argentine team), in the first round of the 2010 Vodacom Cup.

[38] On 10 September 2010, the stadium hosted the final of the EP Grand Challenge, the top league for rugby clubs in the province.

[12] In April 2011, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced that the stadium would become the new home of the country's leg of the annual IRB Sevens World Series starting with the 2011–12 season.

[15] On 20 August 2011, the stadium hosted its first rugby test, which was played between South Africa and New Zealand during the fifth game of the 2011 Tri Nations Series.

South Africa ran out easy 55-6 winners against Scotland in Port Elizabeth, helped by an outstanding performance from Springbok debutant No 10 Handré Pollard.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium's events line-up was significantly boosted by SA Rugby Union announcement that the Eastern Province Kings would be included in an expanded version of the Premier Division of the Absa Currie Cup competition.

It was billed as the 'Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival', and was to have such artists as Keri Hilson[44] but was cancelled due to a lack of funds.

The list of performers included R&B sensation Loyiso Bala, talented and legendary Hugh Masekela, with the highlight of the night George Benson.

On 4 December 2011, a crowd of 7,000 were serenaded by the beautiful sounds of Josh Groban at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium's Prince Alfred Park.

[49] A group of South African churches held a mass prayer around the stadium on 22 March 2010 (a public holiday due to Human Rights Day falling on a Sunday in 2010).