Has SA soccer turned the corner?
Craig Urquhart
10 March 2008The massive cash injection into local soccer ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup is clearly bearing fruit.
The Premier Soccer League is experiencing its most exciting title race in years, the crowds are streaming back, and there is growing interest in the (slow but steady) progress of the national team.
A record R1.6-billion broadcasting deal with pay television station SuperSport International got the ball rolling last year, and the announcement that the winners of the Nedbank Cup will take home R6-million has raised the stakes dramatically.
For too long now, the big three of South African club soccer - Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns - have dominated the local scene, to the detriment of the smaller clubs.
But Ajax Cape Town and SuperSport United are leading the title charge this season. That's good for the game and, of course, the gates.
For decades now, South Africa's local offerings have been the (very) poor cousin of some of the top leagues in the world, despite the fact that we are a breeding ground for some of the best talent in Europe.
Thanks to the slick television presentation, picture perfect venues and capacity crowds, local fans have often chosen the English Premiership, the Bundesliga or Serie A.
Hopefully, the World Cup will continue to improve the standard of the local game. It's a legacy that everyone wishes on the 2010 hosts.
Urquhart is a former Fifa World Cup media officer and the current editor of Project 2010