Putting 2010 First

I was recently in London on an incredible trip with a group of South African
sports administrators, during which we had the privilege of meeting
inspirational individuals who contribute to sporting excellence in Britain.

This once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity taught us that real sporting success comes from having a clear
vision, and being driven by people who work with passion and enthusiasm over a
sustained period of time.

This trip coincided with FIFA
President Sepp Blatter’s visit to South Africa, during which he
called for greater publicity around the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The bulk of the
news coming out of the 2010 FIFA Local Organizing Committee has been anything
but positive. Many are wondering if SA will be ready to host soccer’s greatest
showpiece. Surely, the question should be: How will SA ensure it is ready?

The London visit, which was part of an Executive
Development Program put together by SuperSport and Wits Business School, was
certainly an eye-opener, which made me realize that  something radical needs to happen to turn
things around in South Africa, and get the country behind the 2010 FIFA World
Cup.

Considering the high level of learning that took place on
this visit, it would have been great if more of our top leaders in sport took
up this opportunity to learn how SA could compete in this highly cluttered
sport and entertainment space, and achieve sporting excellence.

We met with leaders from Sport England, a government agency responsible for developing a world-class
community sport system. It has a big focus on why school leavers are ceasing to
play sport, and has launched an initiative called Sport Unlimited to connect with the youth, fittingly using the
communication tools that are most accessible to them, including Facebook,
MySpace, and Bebo.

We also visited UK Sport, which works in partnership with the
home county sports councils and other agencies, to lead sport in the UK to world-class success, and achieved
incredible results with Great
Britain’s Olympic team at the Beijing Games.

Then we had an audience with Sir David Richards, chairman
of the English Premier League, who told us that South Africa had the potential, but
all we had to do was work with each other to achieve our sporting goals.

And to top it off, we also attended a Premier League game,
Tottenham Hotspur versus Wigan, a slick event,
which showcased what British football had to offer.

 
The lesson learned was that sport in the UK is driven by
pride, passion and hard work. The necessary funding is made available for key
programs, which drive sports development, especially among the youth. Their
vision is clear, and the people who drive the processes believe in the country
and the mission ahead.

 
What we learnt on this trip was that, as leaders of sport,
we must ensure that a progressive and cohesive vision is implemented by everyone, forming part of the sporting landscape, to allow our athletes the best opportunity to reach their full potential.