Challenge
25 April 2006
Today marks yet another important milestone in the development of Gauteng as
a Home of Champions, an initiative which we launched in 2004 with the Vodacom
Challenge of that year.
On behalf of the people of Gauteng I am delighted to welcome the
announcement that the inaugural Vodacom Challenge 2006 will include a world
football giant Manchester United playing against our own home grown football
giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates both of who hail from Gauteng. In
particular we welcome the fact the finals will be in Gauteng on 22 July at
Loftus Versveld in Tshwane.
We thank all those involved for having placed their trust in us and pledge
to do all in our power to ensure that the event is a resounding success.
When the final whistle blows on the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany the build
up to the FIFA 2010 World Cup begins. The challenge will be one of the first
large scale international soccer events in our country with the potential to
attract thousands of international visitors. In addition to the overwhelming
support for Chiefs and Pirates of which we are well aware Manchester United has
tens of thousands of supporters in South Africa alone.
This year we will be honoured to have Manchester United playing on South
African soil. In the years leading up to 2010 the plan is to bring other top
international teams to battle it out against Chiefs and Pirates and to create a
sustainable event that will be recognised on the local and international soccer
calendar.
The Vodacom Challenge gives us a unique opportunity to showcase what we have
to offer as a province and as a country. It allows us to signal to South
Africans and the world that we are ready to host the soccerâs biggest showpiece
and to showcase abroad the love and passion that our people have for the
âbeautiful game.â
For Gauteng it is a concrete expression of our home of championsâ campaign
that is aimed at nurturing our sporting talents and achievements and making
Gauteng a preferred home for competitive sports.
Sport has a tremendous role to play not just in strengthening national unity
and social cohesion and in building healthy people but in addressing our
developmental challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.
Competitive sport offers significant economic opportunities for our people
particularly in attracting tourists to our province and our country.
The promotion of Gauteng as competitive sport destination therefore forms
part of our Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy and we have allocated
significant resources in this regard including in bidding for and hosting major
events.
The Vodacom Challenge gives us all an ideal opportunity to showcase our
abilities and expertise not just on the soccer field but in hosting
professional, large scale and world class soccer events. Among the key aspects
which we will need to pay attention to include safety and security;
communications, marketing and broadcasting; traffic control and transport
management; logistical planning as well as entertainment, accommodation and
other aspects of the hospitality and services sector.
We are also pleased that the tickets for the events will be affordable to
accommodate loyal soccer lovers from all walks of life.
Special thanks must go to the sponsors and other partners in giving the
South African public an opportunity to experience this event of a lifetime.
To the teams, players and management of Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and
Manchester United we wish you every success in the tournament. The people of
Gauteng will be with you every step of the way.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
25 April 2006
