2010 fan parks to pull the crowds
Themba Gadebe
28 June 2007Fan parks could draw more than a million visitors to South Africa for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, whether or not they have tickets for tournament matches, says British academic Rogan Taylor.
Speaking at a Soccerex seminar in Johannesburg this week, Taylor, a football industry specialist from Liverpool University, highlighted the importance of public viewing spaces and fan parks during the World Cup.
"Less than 10 years ago, the host country would have advised people not to travel if they did not have tickets," Taylor said. "But now everybody comes, ticket or no tickets."
He said that up to a million visitors were expected in South Africa for the 2010 tournament, and that many would stay on longer. "The focus will be in South Africa in the months both leading up to and after the World Cup, and people will stay much longer in South Africa."
Taylor noted the value of hosting the World Cup went beyond the monetary.
The two-day Soccerex seminar, held at the Sandton Convention Centre, focused on the business opportunities presented by South Africa's hosting of Soccerex, the largest international business-to-business football exhibition.
The event will take place in Johannesburg for the next three years, starting in November, after being held in Dubai for the last five years.
Speaking at the seminar, British High Commissioner Paul Boateng said he had no doubt that "this is going to be an incredible World Cup," adding that bad press was merely one of the drawbacks of being the host country.
2010 Local Organising Committee spokesman Tim Modise said the World Cup would both unite the country and leave a lasting economic impact. He citing recent research by Grant Thornton that set the economic impact of the tournament at about R51-billion.
Matthia Boddenberg, CEO of the German Chamber of Commerce in SA, said Africa's first World Cup would be marked by friendliness and effectiveness.
Boddenberg said he was committed to forging relationships between SA and German companies to ensure they learnt from each other on the hosting of the event.
Source: BuaNews
