Payday is coming for South African football. Having hosted the most financially successful World Cup ever, FIFA is set to pay the South Africa Football Association (SAFA) in the region of $100 million – about R762 million. But who will benefit from this windfall? And can football really be a power for good for all South Africans?

SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani has publicly stated that the bulk of the money will be spent on sports development. This is as it should be. As Sunday Times Editor Ray Hartley argues in his recent editorial, the success of this tournament was made possible by millions of ordinary South Africans who, through their taxes, funded the necessary infrastructure development. We should all, therefore, share in the benefits.

Backing Bafana

Already some have argued that building a better national team should be the priority, and that this will be best achieved by establishing centres of excellence for talented young footballers. It is certainly clear from recent weeks that when Bafana Bafana is performing well, it is good for the country. The infectious sense of pride that has manifested in mirror socks, flags and armies of fans wearing yellow every Friday has had a tremendously positive effect on the national psyche. But sports development is important in other ways too.

John Perlman, founder of Dreamfields, a non-profit that provides football equipment and rehabilitates soccer fields in rural areas and townships, sums this up powerfully in an interview with the Daily Maverick. “If people asked me, ‘Are you looking for the next Lucas Radebe?’ I say, ‘Ja, but we’re also looking for the next Pius Langa or Mamphela Ramphele.’”

Development tool

Sport has been recognised by international development organisations as a powerful developmental tool for decades. It provides children with a healthy form of social interaction that is all too often lacking in poorer corners of South Africa. It teaches teamwork, discipline, leadership, communication and a host of other skills that can be invaluable in other spheres of life. It is a positive outlet of energy for restless young people. It provides with a space to come together and cheer for the same team and turns neighbourhoods into communities.

Success stories

There are many success stories of using sport as a vehicle for social change. Examples include Grassroot Soccer, who use football to fight HIV and Aids; the Nelson Mandela Township Sports Federation, who offer rowing, football and gymnastics to children in an impoverished Eastern Cape township, provided that they attend supervised homework sessions; or the story of street children at Umthombo, a Durban-based organisation, who gave surfing lessons to touring England fans in exchange for football lessons. And countless others listed in the sport category on the Myggsa community.

All of these organisations know that the value of sport is more than mirror socks and Football Friday.

At GreaterGood, we hope that the Directors of SAFA see their payday as an opportunity not only to help give us a team we are proud to shout for, but also a country we are proud to call our own.