Ramatsiyi Moholoa
Ramatsiyi Moholoa
Safa Soweto is going global by hosting the Hyundai five-a-side World Cup finals in 2010.
Confirming the tournament, Safa Soweto chief executive Phil "Chippa" Mogodi said they were looking forward to a great competition.
"We had a meeting with the top brass at Hyundai in South Africa regarding issues relating to the development of the game in Soweto," he said.
"That is where I made a presentation to them to bring the tournament to Soweto, considering that Germany hosted it in 2006 prior to the Fifa World Cup [in Germany that year].
"The Fifa World Cup is coming to South Africa in 2010 and we are all excited about it, we thought it will be a great idea to bring the five-a-side event to Soweto.
"Our relationship with Hyundai started in 2006 when they sponsored the same event where Orlando Pirates represented South Africa in Germany.
"Subsequent to that, we approached them to help in maintaining our stadium and offices in Soweto, which saw them getting the naming rights of the facility.
"They have been helping us a lot and we appreciate it. As one of the sponsors of Fifa and the World Cup, it shows that they really serious about soccer development.
"The 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup have generated a lot of interest in Soweto, just like the rest of Africa."
The preliminary rounds for the five-a-side in South Africa will start in March next year with the winner qualifying to represent the country in 2010.
"The South African winners will play against champions from other countries around the world, it will be a great tournament."
Mogodi said they were in further discussions with the global car manufacturing company to play a hand in getting the residents of Soweto to watch World Cup matches live.
Safa Soweto hosts 5-a-side World Cup
Ramatsiyi Moholoa
Ramatsiyi Moholoa
Safa Soweto is going global by hosting the Hyundai five-a-side World Cup finals in 2010.
Confirming the tournament, Safa Soweto chief executive Phil "Chippa" Mogodi said they were looking forward to a great competition.
"We had a meeting with the top brass at Hyundai in South Africa regarding issues relating to the development of the game in Soweto," he said.
"That is where I made a presentation to them to bring the tournament to Soweto, considering that Germany hosted it in 2006 prior to the Fifa World Cup [in Germany that year].
"The Fifa World Cup is coming to South Africa in 2010 and we are all excited about it, we thought it will be a great idea to bring the five-a-side event to Soweto.
"Our relationship with Hyundai started in 2006 when they sponsored the same event where Orlando Pirates represented South Africa in Germany.
"Subsequent to that, we approached them to help in maintaining our stadium and offices in Soweto, which saw them getting the naming rights of the facility.
"They have been helping us a lot and we appreciate it. As one of the sponsors of Fifa and the World Cup, it shows that they really serious about soccer development.
"The 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup have generated a lot of interest in Soweto, just like the rest of Africa."
The preliminary rounds for the five-a-side in South Africa will start in March next year with the winner qualifying to represent the country in 2010.
"The South African winners will play against champions from other countries around the world, it will be a great tournament."
Mogodi said they were in further discussions with the global car manufacturing company to play a hand in getting the residents of Soweto to watch World Cup matches live.
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