Visa Ticket Fund donates 5,000 FIFA 2010 World Cup tickets

Visa has today announced that it will be giving away 5000 tickets to the FIFA 2010 World Cup to bring ordinary South Africans closer to the game. The allocation of these tickets is closely aligned with FIFA’s Ticket Fund initiative which aims to reach those South African’s who ordinarily wouldn’t have the means to get to a match. Visa will distribute the tickets to South Africans working in the hospitality and tourism sector, through its financial literacy roadshow programme that is currently rolling out across the nation.

Using Africa’s strong tradition of storytelling and the enthusiasm for the upcoming FIFA World Cup™, Visa has created a specialised programme, a living industrial theatre performance, the Visa Financial Literacy Roadshow, to communicate these financial literacy skills as well as build its association as a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™.  This travelling theatrical performance provides educational messages, such as how to open a bank account, saving and budgeting, as well as safety and security around using a debit or credit card , in an entertaining, relevant, and unique manner so that audiences both understand and relate to  the core messages delivered by the actors.

Visa has a decade-long commitment to promoting financial literacy worldwide and recognises that financial education is a cornerstone to social upliftment and financial inclusion that can result in lasting change and help to build a better future for those people who are financially illiterate. Through the platform of football, Visa aims to spread the messages of financial literacy and reach a wide audience to help educate the unbanked and under banked and make sound money management a universal skill.

Danny Jordaan, Charles Niehaus (GM, Visa sub-Saharan Africa, Zakumi, Andre Arendse)

According to Charles Niehaus, General Manager for Visa, sub-Saharan Africa, the programme aims to provide banking and financial services education to the newly banked and under banked market in South Africa. At the same time, Visa’s Ticket Fund initiative will give South Africans who would not otherwise have the means, a chance to be a part of this iconic event.

“People in line to receive these tickets are those who have played a pivotal role to ensure that South Africa is ready to host the world. These recipients are the face of South Africa when welcoming tourists to our beautiful country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™” said Niehaus. “We are enthusiastic about the Ticket Fund initiative as it helps to bring the game of football closer to worthy recipients who wouldn’t normally have access to the matches due to the fact that they fall into a lower income bracket. We at Visa are particularly pleased that these individuals will receive the tickets so they too can say ‘I was there!”.

Not only will Visa be giving away the tickets; transport and catering arrangements have also been made available for those attending the matches to ensure that there are no obstacles in giving them an unforgettable FIFA 2010 World CupTM experience.

Visa aims to reach 20 million people by 2013 globally through their Financial Literacy education programmes.

The FIFA Ticket Fund is the first of its kind in 80 years of FIFA World Cup™ history. The initiative aims to harness the thrill of football and engage South Africans on topics such as education in order to help people create a better life for themselves and their communities. These initiatives will not end when the final whistle is blown on 11 July 2010, but will go on to empower people for years to come, leaving a lasting legacy.