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Safa will need at least R20 million to prepare Banyana Banyana for next year’s Women’s World Cup.
This is the assessment of Safa acting chief executive Russell Paul in the wake of the South African senior women’s side securing their maiden qualification for the global spectacle in France next year.
“It’s going to cost us nothing less than R20 million,” Paul told City Press on the sidelines of a Banyana-Bafana joint clothing sponsorship announcement at Safa House this week.
“It costs money to fly out, and to accommodate and pay the players their allowances while in camp,” he said.
“We also need to organise top-class opposition for the team. We can’t rely on African opposition because we’re not going to get African teams in our group.”
Banyana were awarded a R2.4 million bonus after securing a runners-up spot at the recently concluded Women’s Afcon in Ghana.
“[Turkish menswear brand] D’S Damat is really the first one to say ‘we have to sponsor Banyana’,” said Paul, adding that, “apart from Sasol’s contribution, we’ve knocked on corporate doors left, right and centre to try and get sponsorship for them, [but] we always had doors shut on us by sponsors”.
The clothing partnership with the Turkish sponsor is a value in kind, which Safa said amounted to millions.
According to Paul, Safa has spent almost R70 million a year on women’s football since 2016, when the team qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“Sasol’s contribution is maybe a little bit more than a third of the R70 million,” he said.
“It is in excess of R35 million to R40 million per year out of Safa’s own pocket.
“That’s why a broadcast sponsorship deal is important because that’s where the money comes from to sustain women’s football development.
“We reported a loss of R18 million [in the financial year that ended in June] and it was primarily because we were unable to conclude our broadcast sponsorship deal,” Paul said.
“We received R110 million [from the SABC], which was an average of R9 million a year.”
Paul said women’s football deserved to be placed on a pedestal.
“I think it is time that, as South Africans – corporate, media and ordinary citizens – we sit up and realise that we all have a role to play to ensure that there is a fair amount of equity and parity at all times.”
