Bay
25 April 2007
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport is proud to announce the
hosting of South Africa's first-ever Fan Park event in Plettenberg Bay on
Saturday, 28 April.
We have targeted the Soweto derby between the traditional rivals and
powerhouses of South African football, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. This
is the pilot project for many more fan parks leading up to the 2010 World Cup
Finals in South Africa.
We have targeted this match as dry a run so that we could have sufficient
time to perfect a typical fan park. We view this project as a learning curve
for us.
The Fan Park is part of the Provincial Government's strategy to deliver 2010
matches to all the communities of the Western Cape. The idea of Fan Parks was
copied from Germany during the last FIFA World Cup, where thousands of soccer
fans would watch the World Cup from big screens in a festive atmosphere.
Taking into account the huge costs of tickets at the World Cup itself, we
felt this was a brilliant idea to provide our local fans with best alternatives
to be part of the 2010 vibe.
The Fan Park does not only create and capture the same exciting atmosphere
of the 'live' situation; it provides businesspeople with lots of opportunities
to reap the economic benefits of a major sporting event. We want to use the fan
parks to boost the profile of football in the Western Cape.
In this regard, four of the Western Cape's recently named Football
Ambassadors, including former Bafana Bafana captain, Thabo Mngomeni and
ex-Banyana Banyana skipper Desiree Ellis will be on duty in Plettenberg Bay on
Saturday. They, along with two former South African internationals, Reggie
Jantjies and David Byrne will also conduct a coaching clinic before the
match.
We are indeed thrilled for this project and hope to learn and improve as we
move full steam ahead in our preparations for 2010. This Fan Park has the full
support of the Bitou Municipality, South African Football Association and other
municipalities in the South Western Districts (SWD) region.
We expect to attract at least ten thousand fans to come and experience the
festive mood and watch the match on a big screen at the Plettenberg Bay Rugby
club grounds. A coca cola pop star and rising star of the music industry,
Thembisile will keep the crowd entertained before the match.
For further media enquiries please contact:
Mandla Yeki
Media Liaison Officer
Ministry: Cultural Affairs and Sport
Tel: 021 483 9804
Cell: 079 511 2087
Issued by: Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Western Cape Provincial
Government
25 April 2007
