World Football Summit a welcome boost for KZN
KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Nomusa Dube-ncube has revealed that about R480 million will be injected into the economy of the province through hosting the World Football Summit (WFS), which is the biggest event in the football industry taking place on African soil for the first time.
Speaking during the WFS opening ceremony at the Durban International Convention Centre on Wednesday, Dube-ncube said the road to the 2022 World Cup goes via Durban, as the summit is being held ahead of the start of the Qatar World Cup this weekend.
Dube-ncube said football was a multibillion industry that contributed immensely to the gross domestic product (GDP) of countries and the global economy.
“We estimate this summit alone will potentially inject about R480m into our economy.
“Many of you are aware of the tragic loss of more than 440 lives during the floods in April. We are pleased that your presence comes as a welcome boost to our province’s economic recovery and transformation plan.
“As KZN, we want to seize the opportunities in all the new economic frontiers of sport and the digital economy for the benefit of our many young people.
“We are looking at new industries of the future to ensure that our citizens take advantage of the opportunities and do not only become consumers of services.
“We reaped handsome dividends in hosting the 2010 World Cup, as it generated more than R3 billion for the city of Durban and KZN.
“We are excited at the global marketing exposure that this summit presents for us; it will surely ignite and further fuel the growing tourist interest in our province,” Dube-ncube said.
The WFS, which ended on Thursday, is an international gathering of the most influential professionals in the football industry and brings together industry experts, football legends, soccer clubs and federations to KZN.
“We look forward to interacting with the clubs, leagues, federations, but also broadcasters, sponsors, technology companies and all the different sectors that are involved in the football industry.
“At this WFS, we can attest to the effect that football is not just a game, but what has become a mighty global network economy that commands the attention of major investors and is growing in leaps and bounds.
“In hosting the WFS, as KZN we again demonstrate our capacity to host Africa and the world in global events,” Dube-ncube said.
“We will continue to work closely with our football legends in KZN to develop the sport of football among boys and girls.
“We also believe that we are tapping fully into football’s potential to boost our province not only by hosting Premier Soccer League and Fifa matches, but by hosting international conferences and events such as this one.
“We work with the relevant structures on a focused programme that will facilitate and fast-track the development of talented footballers so that we can unlock the barriers and can be scouted by more international clubs,” said Dube-ncube.