By Ndaba Dlamini and Tabisa Mntengwana
26 November 2008

BUFFALO City is aiming to attract one of the 32 teams taking part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ to set up base camp in the municipality.

“We hope to attract one of the big teams to the city for the duration of the Confederations Cup in 2009 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™,” said Bill Broydrick, an international lobbyist working for the City.

Broydrick, who is part of a team manning the Buffalo City stand at Soccerex in Sandton, Johannesburg, said the city had huge potential to host any of the big teams, and it had prepared accordingly to meet all FIFA requirements in terms of providing training facilities, transport and accommodation.

Upgrades at the airport would begin soon, and are expected to be complete by November 2009, in time for the World Cup.

The City’s 2010 project manager, Roy Young, said the municipality was using the international football business convention to lobby to be a base camp for the two tournaments.

“Soccerex provides us with a platform to market the city, to network and do business with international delegates. The convention will also give us an opportunity to showcase our readiness to be part of the most important sporting event on the globe – the 2010 World Cup.”

The three-day football convention, which opened on Monday, 24 November, is taking place for the second consecutive year at the Sandton Convention Centre. Over 4 000 delegates and 300 exhibitors from more than 95 countries are attending.

This year, all nine provinces and all major cities in South Africa have exhibition stands in an effort to promote South Africa's domestic football industry and share the benefits of Soccerex with other cities and provinces.

“Buffalo City has beautiful and world-class hotels and tourist attractions. We have identified the Blue Lagoon Hotel, a 72-bed establishment, as the best place where the team [could] be accommodated,” Young said.

Built on the banks of the Nahoon River, only five minutes from the city centre, the Blue Lagoon Hotel offers luxury accommodation, park-like surroundings, a spectacular swimming pool and is within walking distance of the beach.

“The Blue Lagoon has experience in hosting international sporting teams. In 1995, it hosted the Italian rugby team during the 1995 Rugby World Cup,” Young explained.

Other excellent hotels in Buffalo City are the Kennaway Hotel, the Regent Hotel, the King David Hotel and the Hemingways Hotel, among others.

The City had also entered into an agreement with MATCH, the exclusive worldwide rights holder for the FIFA Hospitality Programme, and the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) to sign contracts with credible bed and breakfasts in the area, according to Broydrick.

“The list of all graded B&Bs is available for visiting tourists.”

Absa Stadium had been set aside as a training venue for a team that would set up base camp in the area, Broydrick added.

“We identified Absa Stadium as a suitable training venue because the stadium meets some FIFA requirements. [It] has a capacity of 10 000, is close to the airport and some of the big hotels that can be used by the base team.”

The stadium is a two-and-a-half hour drive from Port Elizabeth, the World Cup host city in the province.

Buffalo City’s senior communications and media liaison officer, Samkelo Ngwenya, said being part of Soccerex would help the City’s 2010 unit acquire the knowledge and solutions to some of the challenges the municipality faced.

“This is also a platform to engage with relevant stakeholders and promote the uniqueness of Buffalo City,” he said.