What are the challenges for soccer development structures in SA?

As the plastic horns of the vuvuzelas finally fell silent on Monday morning, and the numerous vendors in each host city selling scarves and flags of the teams took the day off, it’s the first time in six years that there is no soccer to look forward to in South Africa. Since the announcement was made in 2004 that South Africa would host the 2010 World Cup, the excitement and anticipation for the games has been immense, but now that it’s over, it’s time to start looking beyond the tournament and into the future of South African soccer.

According to a New York Times interview with Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the World Cup organizing committee, “South Africans are very proud of what the country has achieved and everyone in South Africa is walking tall.” He continues, “For years, many South Africans have been told that they are inferior, that they are not good enough. The nation has crossed a huge psychological barrier.”

The country has made significant progress since attaining the World Cup hosting honors. But the fact remains that the national team performed poorly by failing to make it past the first round. In order for soccer to succeed in the country, the national team needs to improve greatly. Around $80 million to $100 million from the World Cup will be given to the South African Football Association, but it’s still not clear exactly how the money will be used.

Surprisingly, the South African Premier League has the seventh-richest TV contract in the world. While the television rights don’t lie, the issue troubling South Africa is that the teams lack properly funded academies to develop the young talent coming through. On top of that, the league has a difficult time attracting players from other African nations. With the better leagues setup elsewhere on the continent, and the strong financial pull of Europe, the problem will only become worse unless the infrastructure in South African soccer improves.

One way the country looks to continue progress for the nation’s youth, and in turn its soccer development, is through the 1Goal campaign. This campaign is aimed at using soccer to ensure that education is available for everyone in the world. FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Queen Rania of Jordan established the campaign and hope it makes a lasting impact long after the World Cup ends.

The most important thing for South Africa to focus on is establishing and maintaining a winning national team. The seeds of growth are there and the funds are now available to invest in the youth development of the country. Jordaan tells the New York Times, “The way we can sustain national support is to get a winning team. It’s as simple as that and as difficult as that. Get a winning national team, and you will have national support. No one is going to celebrate defeat.”

Guest post by Kyle Simpson writes for Medical Billing and Coding Training where you can find more information about a career in medical billing and coding.