Sports development and community
specialists referred to the success ‘beyond the stadia’ especially seen in strategies using the World Cup to invest in rural and township sports facilities. These in- cluded the creation of new soccer pitches through the Dreamfields programme, the development of grassroots soc- cer, the establishment of 20 Football for Hope Centres in highly disadvantaged areas and the innovative ‘whisper balls’ created especially for deaf footballers. Health specialists referenced improved
facilities and skills of medical teams. Safety and security services were also im- proved and effective policing and traffic management systems introduced. Others celebrated the creation of more
than 2,000 new jobs in road construction, the improvements made to Cape Town’s International Airport by Airports Compa- ny South Africa, enhanced city design and
Issue 4 2012 © cybertrek 2012
public art and the stimulation of business start-ups and entrepreneurial activity. Stories and successes abound (for more
details read Capeability by the Western Cape provincial government – an excellent account of the Western Cape’s experi- ence of the 2010 FIFA World Cup). Equally, there will always be dissenting voices. Entering this competitive environment, successfully delivering on promises made and managing the legacies are always go- ing to be challenging for any host nation. South Africa did deliver. The world
changed its perspective on the country. International tourist arrivals continue to grow. New global events will be at- tracted to this tip of Africa – Cape Town has already secured the right to be the World Capital of Design in 2014. Let’s leave the last word to Dr Laurine
Platzky, editor of Capeability and the Western Cape deputy director general
of Provincial Strategic Management. “Ar- guments that the billions spent on the World Cup could and should have been better spent on schools, houses and clin- ics are valid,” says Platzky. “But without the focus of a mega event, would the money have been used to educate our children, feed the hungry or restruc- ture our city? Perhaps it would be more profitable to reflect on how much can be achieved when skilled and dedicated teams of people, driven by intense po- litical will, are prepared to overcome all obstacles to achieve a goal.” l
Professor T erry Stevens is MD of Stevens and Associates
www.stevensassoc.co.uk
This feature was recently published in Sport Management’s sister magazine – Leisure Management
Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 25
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