Safa is cash-flush and ready to launch a women’s league

South African Football Association (Safa) president and former executive mayor of Nelson Mandela metro council Danny Jordaan this morning told the media that even though the organisation experiences “cash-flow problems from time to time, it’s far from bankruptcy”.

Jordaan, together with the organisation’s CEO Dennis Mumble, was briefing the media on the finer details of Vision 2022, which is underpinned by good corporate governance, financial sustainibility and a strong emphasis on the development of soccer at grassroots level.

Reminding the media that the federation at some point recorded a R100 million net loss, lost Absa and Puma sponsorships, it is now expected to record a pre-tax revenue of R810 million this year.

The ‘legacy trust’, mainly bequeathed with income from the 2010 World Cup, had R400 million in revenue and is now sitting at a healthy R290 million balance. R200 million of that amount was spent on developing a national technical centre at Fun Valley.

“I know the media is saying you see now they had R400 million, and now they have R290 million … no, we invested the money; that’s why we have a positive balance,” Jordaan said to giggles from the media contingent.

Giving details of their new mantra of single and intergrated development, Jordaan said going forward the organisation would focus on development streams and to professionalise women’s soccer – a full plan to develop women’s soccer will be presented to the national executive committee for approval.

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“When Banyana Banyana plays … they are selected from the provincial teams … in the case of women’s football, you only have provincial leagues, and no national league,” he said, and elaborated that they were planning on having a 12-team women’s premier league.

The composition of the league will be made of “a franchise from each province” together with the winner of a university women’s league competition with Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic making up the balance of the league “as they already have professional women’s soccer teams”.

He reiterated that the growth of women’s soccer was an international phenomenon, as shown by the enthusiasm from various top-notch women’s national soccer coaches currently interested in taking over the reins at Banyana Banyana.

Jordaan devoted time to rattling off figures to impress upon soccer lovers how financially prudent the organisation was. He said their assets were valued at more than R320 million, with Safa House valued at R70 million, and R30 million budgeted for the purchase of the land where the office is based.

A R100 million from the legacy trust is also earmarked to build a hotel at Fun Valley. R450 000 is annually allocated to provinces, and the organisation is currently planning to purchases more cars and buses for provinces to alleviate transport challenges.

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