November 8, 2007
By Ndaba Dlamini
BUSINESSES in Gauteng should take advantage of the upcoming 2010 Fifa World Cup™ to venture into the lucrative business of football, delegates at a soccer business seminar heard on Wednesday, 7 November.
The seminar, organised by the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (Geda), looked at growing and promoting the football industry in the province. It is a precursor to the multibillion rand international business-to-business soccer expo, Soccerex, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg from 26 to 28 November.
Addressing industry players in the fields of merchandising, hospitality, media, manufacturing and contracting, Geda's chief executive, Keith Khoza, said that acquiring the rights to host Soccerex for the next three years bodes well for Gauteng.
"There are clear opportunities for the province to gain strong economic growth from hosting Soccerex, and the World Cup matches.
"We are diversifying Gauteng's economy and our drive to grow and develop the soccer industry as a powerful economic sector starts with Soccerex. Gauteng is home to many multinational companies and is the financial powerhouse for the continent. As such, it is an obvious place to launch and grow the soccer industry in the province and for the continent."
Gauteng MEC for sports, arts and culture, Barbara Creecy, said Soccerex was not just about football, but it was an ongoing effort to attract investment into the province. "The exhibition will help thrust Gauteng into the global economy. It will also enhance our efforts to build the province into a globally competitive city region."
Soccerex was expected to inject about R7-billion into Gauteng's economy and create thousands of jobs according to Creecy. But all this would come to nought if local businesses did not buy into the soccer industry.
Presenting a paper on the power of football, Ray Whelan, the chairman of Match, a Fifa-accredited company working on accommodation and travel logistics, said the World Cup would be like a tsunami descending on South Africa. Fifa is the international football governing body.
Despite the enormous challenges that would come with hosting the World Cup, staging the event would thrust South Africa - and Gauteng in particular - on to the world stage, Whelan said.
"The event will be a huge spectacle and the benefits [it] will bring are immense. For example, South Korea experienced a remarkable enhancement of its infrastructure during the 2002 World Cup. The value of that nation's annual exports jumped by 10 percent."
Germany, host of the 2006 World Cup, received a major financial improvement of about R63,68-billion to its gross domestic product.
However, Whelan said there was still a lot to be done to put Gauteng on the world map. Some foreigners had no idea what Gauteng was and the World Cup was an opportunity to publicise the province and attract tourists, and at the same time showcase African culture.
"I encourage small businesses in the province to take advantage of this huge opportunity. But they must not think that the staging of the World Cup is a God-given right to get business contracts. They must make sure that they have the capacity to undertake huge projects."
He added that small companies should form partnerships with bigger and more experienced companies to take up big projects. "All businesses in the province should demonstrate to the world that South Africa has the capacity to stage the best ever World Cup."
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