Game On makes grand entrance into soccer scene

There are sports websites and there are sports websites … and then there’s Game On.

Game On, is a collaborative campaign between several partners to promote sport tourism in South Africa. The initiative, created by Marcus Brewster Publicity and ICT consultancy Netgen, aims to continually promote South Africa as a sporting hub on the global stage.

Partners on the website are Total South Africa, Mango, Tempest Car Hire, Emerald Resort & Casino, Brothers for Life, Footballers 4 Life and Unicef.

Game On has been launched in celebration of the beautiful game, but other sporting codes such as rugby, cricket, athletics and thoroughbred racing will be added soon.

“South Africa will, later this year, be the only country in the world to have hosted all three major world tournaments in rugby, cricket and football,” says Marcus Brewster Publicity managing director Hein Kaiser.

“This country therefore occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of sports fans all over the world. Game On is designed to be the ultimate, one-stop online place for sports fans to find out about their favourite football teams and, later, other sporting codes such as cricket, rugby, athletics and thoroughbred racing.

“At this stage, with the FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa™ around the corner, the natural focus is on football. But with so many first-time foreign visitors expected, we are offering way more than soccer news and fixtures – we feature all the important information they need for their trip, fun stuff, and indispensable advice on responsible lifestyles.”

Game On has South African weather reports, a currency converter, a map service, international soccer logs, a gig guide, World Cup fixtures, player information, care hire, flight bookings – and even a Soccer Babe of the Week.

It boasts a detailed Survival Guide for tourists, such as getting to South Africa, what to pack and wear, what to eat, the country’s transport network, banking and shopping hours, health tips and safety precautions. There is also a comprehensive glossary of South Africanisms, so that they can easily familiarise themselves with every expression from “eish” to “jislaaik”.

The website also introduces local and foreign fans to Brothers for Life, the campaign that aims to create a movement of men and encourage them to positively influence each other as men, partners, and parents and as leaders.

“Game On is the must-visit website for local and international sports fans, both for the World Cup and far beyond,” says Netgen’s project manager for the site, Katherine Bester. “It is also a dynamic, growing website, so new content and information will be added all the time. Every time a fan visits Game On, there will be something fresh to discover.”

Adds Kaiser: “Game On is the one place where sports fans can go day after day and find fresh news, information and entertainment tailored just for them – they need not go anywhere else to find anything they need, be it online, in print or on the phone.”