So the pressure is on and the local tourism industry is gearing itself for the Soccer Word Cup in 2010 and the opportunity to score big points and make lots of money, but will anyone come?   Some say that our European friends are going to stay in Europe and watch the games on big screens in specially designed uber-cool ‘entertainment stadiums’  and that people in the East will prefer to watch the games on their cell phones, wristwatches and iPods.   What about Americans?  Will soccer have more of a following in the USA by 2010?   Do Americans attend big international sporting events if they are not in their own country? (Isn’t going to Atlanta if you live in Spokane a bit like traveling to another country? )  Perhaps the African-ness of our World Cup will be a draw card as Americans come here to support the cultural aspect of the event, to feel the vibe and the rhythm and experience the warmth of ‘ubuntu’ (collective unity). One thing is certain, there will be a lot of drumming and dancing and chest beating !  Combine that mental image with the fact that I predict a southern hemisphere World Cup with gyrating South Americans and whooping Australians swamping our streets, bars and beaches, and I think we are in for momentous carnival parade !

PLANS are in place for the development of a 2010 fan zone along the beachfront in Durban, stretching southwards from Blue Lagoon. Julie-May Ellingson, who heads Durban’s strategic projects unit and the city’s preparations for 2010, told TNN that the total area incorporated into the fan zone was still to be determined, based on the best interests of the city.
“The plan is for each of the host cities to have a designated fan zone, and Durban’s will be referred to as the ‘fan fest’,” says Ellingson. She recently returned from a World Cup observer mission in Germany and was particularly impressed with the fan zones set up around the country. “In Berlin there were eight double-sized screens stretching across a 2 ½km radius,” says Ellingson. In Durban, she visualises the creation of a big public area where people can get a true experience of the city. “There will be screens, as well as concessions selling food and various other items,” says Ellingson.
There are also plans in place for underground parking areas, with the capacity to hold several hundred cars. Ellingson says there will be parking underneath the stadium, as well as south of the stadium, just off Argyle Road, and a good chance of further parking just north of the stadium. “The idea is to establish huge parking reservoirs for public transport to feed off, taking people to the stadiums and into the city – a park and ride situation,” says Ellingson.