Making the most of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

 Whether these were officially supported by FIFA, covered by South Africa’s national broadcasting company, or simply initiated by grassroots organizations, all attempted to capitalize on the visibility provided by the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Three examples are discussed below.

The Football for Hope Festival: FIFA’s official programme
The Football for Hope Festival took place from 4-10 July in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg, and involved more than 32 mixed teams of boys and girls from five continents.

Teams participating in this event belong to the Football for Hope network, a strategic partnership between FIFA and streetfootballworld. This movement, exemplified by the Football for Hope Festival, illustrates the involvement of FIFA in the field of sport and development.

South African President Jacob Zuma and FIFA President Sepp Blatter took part in the opening ceremony of this unique event.

“Feel It, It is Here”
With its tag line “Feel It, It is Here”, South African Broadcasters Corporation (SABC) played a key role in building the hype around the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

But South Africa’s leading broadcasting company also provided extensive coverage of grassroots initiatives involved in community development through sport.

SABC viewers had numerous occasions to learn more about these initiatives. Several TV documentaries were shot about the role football plays in townships throughout the rainbow nation.

This involvement marks the most significant effort yet from a host country broadcasting company to focus not only on the high-level competition, but also provide its audience with information pertaining to the social impact commonly associated with the “beautiful game”.

The SCORE Cup: bringing the excitement of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to remote areas
The involvement of FIFA, as well as the coverage offered by South Africa’s leading broadcasting company shouldn’t put the other countless community-based initiatives out of sight.

Indeed, the 2010 FIFA World Cup was considered by many organizations involved in the field of sport and development as a unique opportunity to showcase their work to an international audience drawn to South Africa.

SCORE, a non-profit organization involved in community development through sport, was one among several organizations that set up a special programme in light of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The SCORE Cup was developed to bring the excitement generated by the 2010 FIFA World Cup to the deprived areas where SCORE operates.

The tip of the iceberg
The aforementioned initiatives provide only a sample of the countless programmes associated with the 2010 FIFA World Cup advocating for the social benefits of football. Numerous other programmes were implemented by Grassroots Soccer, Amandla Ku Lutsha, Coaching for Hope, Whizzkids United, Umzingisi, and the Youth Development through Football initiative, among others.