The Northern Cape will not be hosting any official group or knock-out matches during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, but the event still presents a unique and not-to-be-missed opportunity for the province to market and develop its assets and promote itself and its people on the world stage.

A province in anticipation

In her 2008 State of the Province address, the Northern Cape Premier stressed the importance of the event and outlined how the provincial government plans to ensure that maximum benefit is derived. The key areas outlined included:

• Promoting tourism in the province.
• Constructing and running public viewing areas during the event.
• Bidding to serve as a base or training camp before the event proper.
• Ensuring that the legacy of the World Cup is felt in the province for many years to come.

The Northern Cape offers visitors a unique tourism experience, with a range of sites and sights that will not be found anywhere else in the world. The key to the province's tourism master plan is getting travellers away from the host cities. In order to do this, the province must present a product as polished as the diamonds it is famous for, from the ease and availability of transport, information services, and accommodation venues to the general welcome and friendliness of its people.

While the province does not have the infrastructure to necessarily attract one of the larger contingents of teams and support staff, the region is confident that it can serve as an ideal training base prior to the tournament for any national team.

Despite not being able to actually attend a match in their own province, the people of the Northern Cape are just as excited as everyone else about watching their heroes in action. With this in mind, the provincial government is setting up public viewing areas and fan parks to facilitate public viewing and participation in the event. These parks will also allow small and large businesses to profit from the hype surrounding the football.

Ultimately, the success of the tournament will be measured in large part by the legacy that it leaves behind. The provincial government is looking to use the interest generated by the event to source funding for a multipurpose sports complex, upgrade the provincial theatre infrastructure and develop the standard of football in the province.

Tourism and the World Cup

For about a month, the world will have its eyes on South Africa as 32 teams do battle for a trophy, a title and four years' worth of bragging rights. This presents the tourism industry in all provinces, the Northern Cape included, with an incredible opportunity to market themselves to the world.

A well-put-together tourism product could add economic benefits to the Northern Cape for much longer than the 30 days of football, or even the four years of bragging.

The Northern Cape Department of Tourism has, therefore, already invested R1.4-million in the upgrade of 15 municipal tourist-information offices, and allocated R250 000 to knowledge training and improving client-service levels.

Similarly, 30 tour guides are nearing the end of their foreign-language training so that, come June 2010, the Northern Cape will be able to offer information and guidance in French and German as well as English.

Nationally, the 2010 Fifa World Cup will have an incredible impact on South Africa's infrastructure and economic development. The following four sectors have been identified by Fifa and the local organising committee as integral to the successful hosting of the event, as well as being most beneficial in the long term to the people and communities of South Africa.

Communication

Specifically regarding broadcasting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the Nasrec precinct in the south of Johannesburg has been identified as the location for the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) for 2010. The IBC will serve as the communications control centre for the duration of the event, hosting thousands of broadcasters from around the world and broadcasting to an estimated cumulative audience of 30 billion people.

The IBC will be one of the most sophisticated broadcast centres ever, responsible for taking the game and the Rainbow Nation to those people not able to make the trip to South Africa.

Health and medical services

The 2010 Fifa World Cup could be the most demanding period ever for local health services. The influx of visitors from all over the world will put enormous strain on the country's medical capabilities, but the organising committee, and Fifa itself, have confirmed their faith in South Africa's ability to present a safe and healthy event for players, supporters and local communities.

A National Health Operations Centre (NATHOC) has been established to oversee the event. NATHOC will be linked to all nine provinces and will ensure upto- the-minute monitoring, collating and reporting on plans and the occurrence of any health incidents leading up to and during the event. NATHOC will stay in touch through a sophisticated online-communications system.

Free primary healthcare, fully equipped onsite medical centres and roving personnel will be available, not only at World Cup venues and in host cities but at fan parks and other official World Cup venues across the country as well.

Even though there is no official host city in the Northern Cape, the province's medical services and facilities need to be up to the national standard offered in host provinces.

Transport

One of the most encompassing benefits of hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup is the required transformation of the transport and publictransport infrastructure in South Africa. Fifa requires certain transport standards be met and, in meeting these, South Africa is providing a long-term solution to its local transport system, to the benefit of local communities and commuters across the country.

As part of government's promise to the event organisers, the following form part of the national 2010 Transport Action Plan:

• Accelerate existing transport plans and maximise existing transport infrastructure.
• Improve public transport and promote its use.
• Integrate existing transport services.
• Accelerate implementation of government's economic and sustainable-development policies.

Closely linked to the improvement in transport systems across South Africa is the potential success of the tourism sector during and immediately after the event. The Northern Cape is especially focused on making transport into and within the province as seamless as possible, so as to attract and facilitate tourists on the back of the World Cup.

National government has committed to providing 2 035 luxury and standard buses, 60 train sets and 1 400 luxury coaches to be used for long-distance travel between venues. These vehicles will then be made available to local communities in need after the event.

Security

A subject often raised in talks about 2010 is security, but Deputy National Police Commissioner Andre Pruis, who will be heading up 2010 security nationally, assured South Africans and the world that the event will be a safe and secure success when he presented the official security plan to Fifa. R665-million will be spent on equipment, 41 092 police officers will be deployed for the duration of the event (over and above normal policing officers), and there will be constant monitoring of identified highrisk areas. To date, South Africa has successfully hosted 17 major international events with no great incidents.

Community benefits

Government has stressed that the benefits of this World Cup must be felt by all, and that they must extend far beyond the host venues and cities, and be felt long after July 2010 when the trophy, teams and supporters leave. There are already a number of initiatives set up to address this objective.

One of these is the 20 centres for 2010 Project, which is a fundraising drive being led by Fifa to construct 20 'Football for Hope Centres' across Africa. Fifa and its official sponsors have agreed to donate US$5 000 towards the construction of these centres for every goal scored during the World Cup qualifying games, and they have challenged fans across the world to follow their lead. Each centre will include a football pitch, classrooms and a healthcare facility. Five of these centres will be constructed in South Africa, with the remaining 15 to be built in identified areas of need throughout the rest of Africa. If the goal-scorers are on target, as they were in 2006, this donation initiative alone will be in the region of US$1-million. In total, Fifa hopes to raise US$10-million for the project.

Another initiative is the Dreamfields Project, which will focus on capitalising on the hype surrounding the 2010 World Cup and use the excitement and enthusiasm to raise money for the development of soccer fields and soccer equipment in disadvantaged communities. This initiative also includes training in business skills and the creation of new social partnerships.

From a commercial and entrepreneurial perspective, the World Cup presents local communities with countless opportunities to tender for work and build business relationships. The Northern Cape will not host any World Cup matches, but there are still opportunities for small businesses to take advantage of the large numbers of tourists expected and the amazing exposure that South Africa will receive on the world stage.

The development of football in rural and township areas in South Africa received a major boost in April 2009 when the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund contributed R81-million towards the 2010 Artificial Football Turf Programme. The programme will see 27 artificial turfs laid in rural and township areas over three years, and will complement the South African Football Association's grass-roots programme. The first phase of the programme will see one new facility constructed in each of South Africa's nine provinces.

Kimberley hosted the launch of the 2010 Mass Mobilisation Programme towards the end of 2008. The programme is intended to provide all stakeholders with the opportunity to share and learn about ways in which every South African can benefit from the 2010 Fifa World Cup. The Mass Mobilisation roadshow will spread the word across South Africa and promote ways and means leading up to the kick-off in June 2010. The programme will target the youth, and especially women within that category. Initiatives along the way will include soccer- and life-coaching clinics, and specific training for at least 290 new coaches.