Are the new stadiums white elephants in the making?

The World Cup is officially done and dusted. So what happens now? This was always the question posed as soon as South Africa was named the winner in the race to host the tournament for 2010. And after years of preparation and an excellent tournament, it is now time to start answering that question.

Even before addressing the issue of the stadiums, the other major concern is what happens to South African soccer. It may come as a shock to soccer fans around the world, but the South African Premier League has the seventh-largest TV deal of any domestic league. After the World Cup, they now have some glorious stadiums to play in as well. Despite these facts, South African soccer is still not drawing in the crowds it would like to. The only games worth mentioning are the ones between the two most popular teams, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. For any other game, attendances typically hover in the region of a few thousand, and this is the accepted norm.

In order to prevent South African soccer on a domestic and international level from jettisoning into the depths of obscurity, is to take action against these stadiums becoming what many suspect they will be; white elephants. A great way to start getting new fans into the stadiums is to offer promotional deals. Many criticized the World Cup for pricing local fans out of watching the games. In turn, the people who did buy tickets should be given an incentive to come to Premier League games thereafter. For every World Cup game ticket, a subsequent Premier League game ticket should be offered. This will get the process going of getting people to come to the games, and while some may not come back after their first few free visits, some will and that’s a great place to start.

South Africa should also take a page out of the United States’ book in regard to soccer. After the US hosted the World Cup in 1994, they made the push to then begin their own domestic league, the MLS. While it’s taken a while to catch on, the US tactically made the right decision to start a league from the ground up. After 15 years, it’s starting to gain recognition. One of the most powerful ways it has done so is through David Beckham. South Africa could look down the road over the next few years and see if they can entice an aging star to come play for them. These players guarantee ticket sales wherever they play, and enhance the profile of the league for other stars to come later. This may be difficult at first, but an investment like that could be priceless down the road.

As South Africa continues to make progress after the World Cup, they have every opportunity to build on the success of the tournament. In order to prevent these stadiums becoming white elephants, the South African Premier League must do their part to promote the domestic game. Despite the national team performing admirably, they still have a long way to go before the next World Cup comes along in four years.

Guest blog by Lisa Barrister a writer for Online Doctorate Programs where you can browse the top PhD programs.