Soccer's Importance in Africa

The 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa in the middle of May, and a lot of people asked what the continent gained from hosting the event. The importance of soccer in Africa is so much more than the game itself; Africa felt the economic and social impact in the form of more jobs, better infrastructure, and increased tourism. Here, you will learn more about soccer's benefits for Africa.

There was a report in The Economist by accounting firm Grant Thornton that said the World Cup would give South Africa half a percent in growth. It was predicted that 373,000 foreigners would visit South Africa during the tournament, and each person would spend an average of $4,000. In total, almost $12.4 billion was predicted to be spent in South Africa, and about 16% of that total was expected to come from tourism, with the rest coming from governmental spending on infrastructure.

The building and refurbishment of arenas for the World Cup and the revamping of South Africa's infrastructure have created thousands of jobs, most of which were short term in nature. Africa is expected to benefit greatly from the building of hotels, meant to accommodate the massive numbers of tourists visiting for the Cup. Those cities who have previously hosted events of this scale benefited for years after the event, partly from infrastructural improvements and partly from the recognition earned. Although there were concerns as to South Africa's readiness for the Cup, the nation's tourism experts say that Soccer City in Johannesburg was more than adequate.

According to a South Africa report by TradeInvest, it was predicted that the World Cup would bring in over 20 billion rand and create over a hundred thousand jobs. South Africa is also building the Gautrain, a high-speed rail system that runs from Tahmbo International Airport, to Johannesburg, and on to Pretoria. The rail system's website says that its main goal is to support economic growth and to generate jobs.

Soccer, or football, has long been regarded as the "black man's sport", and has not gotten the sponsorship and funding that cricket and rugby have had. Race is also an issue; even today, schools are set up so that black children play soccer and white children play cricket or rugby. There have been measures proposed to rectify the imbalance, under the belief that sports should unify the population instead of dividing it.

In the past two decades, football teams from Africa, along with individual players, have gained a good worldwide reputation. Today, there are more than a hundred players from Africa, playing on teams in South America, Europe and the US. From 1970 onward, Africa has been guaranteed at least one spot in the World Cup, and now, only South America and Europe have more teams at the Cup. This, along with the economic and social improvements, are a testament to soccer's importance in Africa.