Major World Cup tenders rejected

The city of Cape Town has rejected three tender bids by prospective operators for its
68 000-seater World Cup stadium in Greenpoint. ‘The bid evaluation committee came to the conclusion that none of the bids meet the city's require-ments and recommends that the bid not be awarded and be re-advertised,’ the city said in a statement. The tender is for the operation of the stadium and a multi-purpose 90-hectare theme park on the site. Among the heavyweights who had submitted tenders was Investec Bank which provided the city with R185m in bridging finance to assist with the construction of the R2.5 billion stadium which will host a 2010 semi-final. The consortium includes Venfin Media Investments, Western Province Rugby Union and the SAIL group.

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Fifa heavy weights monitor progress

The Board of Directors of the 2010 Organising Committee South Africa which met in Johannesburg yesterday, have once again expressed confidence in the country’s World Cup preparations, saying the past month has been ‘particularly good’.

Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke who attended the meeting, said that ‘as always’ stadium construction was an important issue which is being closely monitored, but stressed: ‘We at Fifa are confident that we are on track and that we are going the right way.’ The committee’s operational budget for the next financial year was approved at the meeting. There were also discussions on the official 2010 Fifa World Cup poster, which will be unveiled during the Preliminary Draw in Durban on November 25.

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Local companies get UK platform

SA will be sending an entire delegation of the country’s top businesses to London in the new year for a major trade and industry exhibition which will showcase various 2010 World Cup projects. The Big Business Expo is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry. With the World Cup just 32 months away, the expo will market SA at a critical time, exposing potential visitors to the possibilities that exist in order to stimulate an influx of investors both in the private and public sectors. ‘Both tourism and 2010 have truly positioned South Africa on the global map. We continue to grow from strength to strength, paving the way for big and small companies to do big business in foreign markets. All they need is the platform,’ said organiser Sue Gannon.

2010 This week

15 – 17: 2007 AMEU Convention. The convention theme is ‘Phezu Komkhono’ (Get on with it) and South Africa’s 2010 World Cup preparations will be one the issues under discussion (Durban)

15: 2010 World Cup issues expected to be addressed when President Thabo Mbeki hosts high-level delegation from Brazil (Presidential Guesthouse - Pretoria)

15: South Africa vs Italy - international friendly (Siena)

17 – 20: Botswana’s 2010 World Cup preparations under the spotlight at Global Expo to attract foreign direct investment and promote joint venture opportunities between citizens and foreign investors (Gaborone)

17: Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan to address Ghanaian and African sports media practitioners on SA’s 2010 preparations (Accra)

19: Draw for the 2008 MTN Nations Cup finals. The 16 qualifiers will be drawn into four groups of four for the tournament, which runs from January 20 to February 10.

Fifa delegation to inspect WC stadia

A Fifa inspection tour of four 2010 host cities kicks off on Monday and the Local Organising Committee says it is confident the delegation will find the project ‘well on track’.

The team is composed of experts in competitions, marketing, IT, media, accommodation, security, stadium construction and transportation.

The tour starts at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg and will continue to Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay the following day. It will culminate in a visit to Durban on Wednesday where the delegation will visit the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre, the location of the Preliminary Draw on November 25 which will mark the global kick-off of the journey to the 2010 World Cup.

2010 This week

8: Media accreditation deadline for the 2010 preliminary draw. The process is being conducted exclusively online (www.fifa.com)

8 - 10: Fifa delegation tours four of the nine host cities to look at the stadium building progress and to get an update on the preparations for the 2010 World Cup Preliminary Draw in Durban on November 25.

9: Technology and Design - Changing the Face of South Africa: 2010 and Beyond. Address by Clem Sunter, world renowned strategist and best selling author (Sandton)

11 – 14: Zimbabwe International Travel Expo which will showcase 2010 World Cup preparations.

12: World Cup scenarios addressed when the African Institute of SA holds a seminar on ‘The Solution to Zimbabwe Crisis: A Civil Society Dialogue’ (Pretoria)

12: Launch of the Mata Mata Tourist Access Facility between and Namibia within the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This access facility will see the region benefiting from the 2010 Fifa World Cup by showcasing its unique eco-tourism products.

13 - 14: 2007 FNB-sponsored Homecoming Revolution event which will highlight SA's 2010 World Cup preparations (London).

13: First African 2010 qualifying matches: Seychelles v Djibouti; Sierra Leone v Guinea-Bissau; Central African Republic v Sao Tome and Principe; Somalia v Swaziland and Madagascar v Comoros.

14: Fifa will inspect the Mandela National Stadium in Namboole for the second time to ascertain the stadium’s readiness 2010 qualifiers.

Sponsors help swell Safa’s coffers

01 October 2007 – The Sowetan
Ramatsiyi Moholoa

Soft-drink giant Coca-Cola and supermarket chain Pick ’n Pay have come on board as sponsors of the South African Football Association.
This was announced by Safa president Molefi Oliphant at their annual general meeting in Kempton Park on Saturday.

The two major companies will each contribute a total of R20 million to the coffers of the soccer federation over five years.

“They are the suppliers to the national teams and Safa,” said Oliphant, whose body has reduced its financial deficit from R98 million to R44 million.
“We are naturally delighted that the two companies will be assisting us in the next five years. It’s good for the development of football in our country.”

Oliphant also confirmed that the AGM resolved to close down SA Football Pty Ltd, the commercial wing of Safa, as per the new tax laws of the country.

SA Football Pty Ltd – which was led by deputy president Mwelo Nonkonyana – will wind up its affairs and furnish Safa with a closing report within 90 days.
The commercial wing’s staff members will be absorbed by Safa.
The proposed new legislation gives South African sports federations until December 2009 to close their commercial wings.

All federations are now by law required to have only one structure. In this case all the activities relating to amateur soccer will be run by Safa.
“For us the announcement (legislation) came at the right time. We felt there was no need to go any further with the activities of the commercial wing,” said Oliphant.
The Lekoa soccer leader-cum-businessman said issues relating to the constitution of Safa will be discussed at a special general meeting on December 1.
“We will discuss things like amending the Safa constitution in line with those of Fifa and CAF statues. There will also be a presentation of the latest (developments) relating to the 2010 World Cup preparations.”

On the formal request by Safa Soweto to be awarded regional status, Oliphant said there was a task team dealing with the matter. But he was quick to point out that the task team was looking into all the metros, Johannesburg included.
“We are not only looking into the issue raised by people from Soweto. The task team will give us a report on December 1.”

Meanwhile, Safa has appointed veteran soccer administrators Leepile Taunyane and Vincent Baartjies as honorary life members.
Safa is also planning to organise more competitions for junior soccer

Sewerage project to offer fertile opportunities

The Sedibeng Municipality will embark on an extensive sewer upgrade to create business opportunities, improve basic services and boost tourism in the area.

According to Colin Mokoena, spokesperson for the Sedibeng Municipality, the project is in the detailed design stage and they are still completing the Environmental Impact Assessment. No tenders have been awarded yet and the entire upgrade is expected to be completed in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Broad-based black economic empowerment targets have been set for this R614 million project, so there are ample business possibilities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). “It will involve the laying of pipes and construction works, so there will be opportunities for small and larger contractors,” Mokoena says.

Further to construction opportunities, the municipality hopes that the project will boost the tourism industry and attract investment. Mokoena explains that once an area has infrastructure and basic services to accommodate more people, then more businesses will meet the greater demand for services and become attractive investment options.
. For more information about the upgrade, visit www.sedibeng.gov.za.

Concern over WC sex tourism

Durban sex workers are calling on the authorities not to legalise prostitution for the 2010 World Cup. The issue is fast becoming a hot potato with police chiefs admitting that they are unsure of how to handle the issue. A group of past and present sex workers have spoken out about sex tourism. They say the emphasis should be on encouraging women away from this profession by giving them alternatives.

Earlier this year, police commissioner Jackie Selebi expressed his concerns about ’soccer hooligans’ who are expected to imbibe in public places and those who would feel the urge to pick up prostitutes.

The South African Law Reform Commission says it is looking at the experiences of other countries like Germany and Australia which have legalised prostitution.

Volunteers on board for preliminary draw

KwaZulu-Natal’s department of sports and recreation has begun the process of signing up volunteers for the 2010 World Cup. Jomo Biyela, the Durban’s 2010 World Cup strategic manager confirmed that the issue was finalised this weekend and the first recruits will be deployed for the 2010 preliminary draw in the city in November.

‘Those volunteers will be trained by experts on how to do whatever we are going to sign them up to do as part of the tournament.’ The volunteers will be separated into two groups – general and specific. He said his department which is working closely with the Local Organising Committee (LOC), has set aside a budget to train volunteers. The LOC says it will sign up 15 000 volunteers nationally to assist in staging a successful tournament.

R19bn upgrade for airports

The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) says it will be spending in excess of R19 billion on infrastructure to accommodate growing passenger numbers through its 10 airports around the country. About R4.9bn of the budgeted expenditure is being spent in the 12-month period to March 2008. With the 2010 World Cup looming fast, Acsa is expecting passenger numbers to grow to 45m from the current 32.8m. Passenger demand has been affected by the entry of low cost carriers into the market.
Photo: Project 2010

Joburg stadiums on track

Linda Ngwenya, the director of Johannesburg’s 2010 unit says construction projects at the city’s stadiums are ahead of schedule. And construction projects at Soweto’s Orlando Stadium (above) which will be used as a training facility in 2010 are also on target. ‘Well-equipped soccer stadiums, legacy projects, an integrated public transport system, greening the city, getting ready for an avalanche of tourists - all these projects are far advanced and in every case will be finished well in time,’ he said.
Photo: www.joburg.co.za

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2010 This Week

27 – 29: Eastern Cape provincial government hosts all-inclusive workshop focusing on the progress of 2010 World Cup programmes (East London)

29: Deadline for journalists planning to cover the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Zambia in Cape Town on 9 September to apply for accreditation.

30: Various World Cup upgrading projects under the spotlight when SANParks chief executive David Mabunda unveils national program for SA National Parks Week (Pretoria)

31: Entries close for the South African Breweries Environmental Journalists and Environmentalist of the Year Awards. For the first time, the awards will be carbon friendly, and this will be achieved by planting fruit trees in Soweto as part of a township greening project for the World Cup.

31: Tender deadline for the upgrade and extension of the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenburg in preparation for the World Cup.

1: South Africa’s former Formula One world champion, Jody Scheckter, hands over the first of 11 000 trees he has sponsored to the community of Dobsonville, Soweto as part of the World Cup greening project.
OTHER: The deadline for submitting objections to the proposed prohibition on the use of certain words and emblems for the World Cup has been extended from August 2 to October 2.

24 August 2007

An artist’s impression of the multimillion-rand development project which is under way in Doornfontein where Ellis Park, a 2010 World Cup venue, is situated. Amos Masondo, the city’s mayor, this week said the project is already a resounding success. The regeneration and renewal of the precinct will also include Doornfontein, Berea and Bertrams, which are regarded as crime- and drug-infested areas of the inner city. The development will create an access road network to the stadium from the north.

Image: City of Johannesburg

Belle Regalo offers a range of soccer gifts for companies involved in 2010 projects.

Stadium tender misses deadline

23 August 2007

The award of the tender to run Green Point Stadium after the 2010 World Cup has been delayed for at least another month to allow the city time to interview the three bidders.

The 30-year lease, which has an estimated R260-million present day value, was originally scheduled to be awarded in August.

But the tender evaluation committee has decided that it wants to meet the bidders face-to-face to clarify their bids.

The city is however remaining silent on exactly what the bidders are proposing to ensure the stadium produces an income and how it will manage the adjacent urban park.

By the end of the July 10 extended deadline, three submissions involving seven companies had been received.

City 2010 spokesperson Pieter Cronje said on Monday all three submissions complied with the tender criteria and were now being weighed up against each other.

The city has also declined to name the companies involved.

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PE has lost one of its WC tourism drawcards

22 August 2007

Being originally from Port Elizabeth, this news is rather sad to me. It seems that PE has lost one of its WC tourism drawcards. Port Elizabeth’s two remaining dolphins – Domino and Dumisa – are expected to be relocated to another city in SA as part of a multi-million rand upgrade to the Bayworld Oceanarium ahead of the 2010 World Cup. As a result, they will not feature as a tourism drawcard during the World Cup or Confederations Cup. The city is hosting matches for both tournaments, including the World Cup third-place play-off. Funding for the Bayworld redevelopment has mushroomed to R500-million.

Tourism is the ideal industry to make use of corporate gifts as they use branded t-shirts; branded peaks; branded caps.

The Oceanarium in its present form was constructed over a period of 10 years, the first phase of which was the 750 000-litre main fish tank which was built in 1959.

After housing dolphins for a number of years, the pool was re-established as a fish tank in 1968 when the new dolphin lake was completed and is now home to a wide variety of large fish, sharks, rays and turtles.

Alongside it is the smaller tropical tank where a variety of the invertebrates and small fish species found along this coastline are displayed.

The large dolphin lake is undoubtedly the focal point of the Oceanarium. 60m long, 45m at its widest point and up to 4,5m deep, it contains 4,75 million litres of filtered seawater and is still one of the largest dolphin lakes in the world.

Photo: Project 2010

Jordaan addresses WC crime concerns

21 August 2007

2010 Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan on Monday deflected concerns about the crime situation in SA, saying the country has hosted numerous sporting events without incident. Addressing a World Cup 2010 briefing at South Africa House in London, Jordaan said the fact that tourism figures have increased by record numbers indicated that the situation is under control. ‘Ask those who came for the rugby World Cup. The cricket World Cup, the African Cup of Nations - not a single incident. We had Barcelona, we had England, Argentina, Germany, all of the big teams in the world playing. Not a single incident in SA over 13 years around any of our major events.’ Jordaan also said SA was well on target with its various 2010 stadium projects.

20 August 2007

Some interesting news in Johannesburg is that The Expo Centre in Nasrec looks set to host the 2010 World Cup International Broadcast Centre (IBC), the media nerve centre that will disseminate all match information of the tournament to billions of viewers all over the world. While the decision is yet to be endorsed by Fifa, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) recommended to the cabinet that Johannesburg be the host centre of the IBC. The cabinet also gave its approval. Cape Town and Durban were also in the running. Nasrec, the Expo Centre, in the west of Johannesburg, is big enough to accommodate the IBC – with all the international broadcasters the event draws, according to Linda Ngwenya, director for the City's 2010 unit.

The City of Johannesburg has identified Nasrec as an area requiring economic, social and environmental rejuvenation and upliftment. Which is a great feather in the cap of this acclaimed venue. It may be interesting to note that Belle Regalo is a supplier of conference gifts from folders, conference bags, pens, conference gifts, banners and many other conference ideas.

2010 This Week

21-23: State Information Technology Agency (SITA), hosts annual GovTech conference. 2010 issues including disaster management and how to extend the services that will have to be delivered for the World Cup will be on the agenda. (Cape Town)

22: Scotland vs South Africa – international friendly (Aberdeen)

22- 25: Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition. How the SA music industry should position itself in the run up to the 2010 Fifa World Cup will be debated (Museum Africa – Newtown)

25: The South Pacific Games football tournament which kicks off in Samoa will double as Oceania's opening Fifa 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

26: The official draw for the third Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup will be conducted by Fifa General Secretary Jérôme Valcke (Marseilles, France)

OTHER: The deadline for submitting objections to the proposed prohibition on the use of certain words and emblems for the World Cup has been extended from August 2 to October 2.

The Royal Bafokeng Administration is calling for the upgrade and extension of the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in preparation for the World Cup. The tender closes on August 31.

South Africa Scores with Soccerex

18 August 2007

As I research more and more about soccer, I am finding out that the marketing opportunities are amazing. One of the events to look out for in the 2007 soccer events calendar is Soccerex.

Soccerex, the world's biggest exhibition in the soccer industry, will take place in South Africa from 26 - 28 November 2007. In its 11th year, Soccerex is moving to South Africa hosted by the Gauteng Province at the Sandton Convention Centre

Winning the right to host the event is a major coup for the country, as it will bring soccer associations, football clubs, businesses and the media from all over the world to Gauteng province from November 2007 to 2009. It will also boost the country's build-up to the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Now in its tenth year, Soccerex is the only convention that gives exhibitors and delegates the opportunity to network with suppliers, manufacturers, key buyers and decision-makers in international football. It attracts football legends, top football clubs and football playing nations.

Football brings people together.

Branded soccer shirts with company logos provide a functional billboard and an interactive marketing tool. Custom printing of soccer shirts, t-shirts, golf shirts and more soccer gifts such as vuvuzelas, soccer balls, soccer pens, soccer radios, soccer clocks, caps.

The Gauteng Province is the economic powerhouse of South Africa : responsible for over a third of the country's GDP, the economic growth and output of Gauteng outstrips the rest of the country and leads the continent.

Soccer and football sponsorship and branding can be summarized in this illustration: The striker moves into position, smoothes his shirt with his name across the back and ... sport is such a good brand-builder, advertising and marketing tool, but you have start positioning yourself now for this momentous event in South African soccer history.

2010 this week

12 – 18 August 2007

14: 2010 issues under the spotlight at Convention on Intellectual Property Rights in Emerging Countries (Sandton Convention Centre)

15: The International Marketing Council of SA, together with the 2010 National Communication Partnership Task Team hosts a conference to answer the question 'how do we brand Africa to the world in the lead up to 2010?' (Sandton Convention Centre)

16: Deadline for media personnel travelling to Scotland for next week’s international friendly to submit their details to Safa’s Director of Communications.

16 – 19: 2010 Business Opportunities Conference presents ordinary South Africans with the business opportunities available in the upcoming World Cup. The conference, taking place alongside the Cape Town Small Business Week, will have a heavy focus on identifying business opportunities in the tourism, hospitality, construction, property, transport and wholesale/retail sector.

19: Sihlangu Indaba on business opportunities on the 2010 World Cup (Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre – Mbabane, Swaziland)

Should you be involved in the 2010 bid, why not let the world know by getting branded gifts from a wide variety of soccer gifts and 2010 gifts.

LOC: Why SA will deliver successful WC

17 August 2007

LOC: Why SA will deliver successful WC. South African organisers for the first soccer World Cup in Africa reiterated their confidence that the country can deliver a successful tournament while beating pessimism on the African continent.

Much preparatory work had been done and many others are well on the track for the 2010 World Cup, Danny Jordaan, CE of the tournament’s LOC, said, citing the finalised match schedule, sold broadcast rights, established website and new stadiums under construction.

The Xinhuanet reports that Jordaan said the preliminary draw, the first official event as run-up to the 2010 World Cup, will be held in Durban on November 25, with the highest number of countries ever had entered for the event.

This marketing event is going to be spectacular. We suggest that you start capataising on the marketing opportunities by planning your soccer promotional gifts soon. Ideas include, soccer balls, stadium horns, caps, soccer shirts.