Transforming Our Game

The Football Foundation for Africa is an international social enterprise seeking to drive investment into the development of grassroots football in Africa. Our ultimate goal is to create employment opportunities while at the same time enhancing the employability of the youth in Africa. Working with different stakeholders we aim to protect the foundation of African football, that is, the talent and passion, through advocacy for better governance of the beautiful game at all levels. We want to see Africa compete equally at the world stage by embracing all-round professionalism.

The Football Foundation for Africa

Next week we kick off season five of the Africa Football Business Show themed Transforming our Game.

Following a relatively successful AFCON 2022, many have hailed the tournament as having ushered in a new era in African football. AFCON 2022 was significant in many ways. The biennial tournament was held under difficult circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic and resistance or reluctance by European clubs to release African players for the showcase. The host country, Cameroun, had also struggled to get the infrastructure ready, not to mention the election of a new president a month before kick-off, something some consider a silver lining in the cloud.AFCON 2022 was an exciting event with a well-executed opening ceremony at the newly-built Olembe Stadium. The matches were also of good quality, a significant improvement from previous tournaments for those with a keen eye for football. Noteworthy were the performances of small nations like the Gambia, Comoros, Ethiopia and Cape Verde, who displayed good football, standing toe-to-toe with the traditional powerhouses. Early exits by defending champions Algeria and tournament favourites Nigeria meant the Mane-Salah fan club was always engaged, Klopp's remarks notwithstanding.Despite the relative success of AFCON 2022, Africa still has a long way to go to achieve its potential in football and sports in general. The progression of African talent to the top of world football, as evidenced by the number of returnees at this year's tournament, has not been translated to progress on the continent. African football requires a transformation. There are underlying problems or causes of organisational pain that need to be addressed, and for this to happen, they must be correctly understood.Even with football being a multibillion-dollar industry, the African football industry lags far behind the European football industry. Lately, all other continents seem to be progressing much faster than Africa. The lack of progress has been attributed to, among other things, weak leadership and governance and lack of investment, resulting in the migration of players abroad and low quality of local competitions.In this season premiere, we seek answers as to why African football still lags and what we need to do as the continent to transform the football industry. How does the football industry compare to other industries like mining and agriculture? Is it possible to reorganise football governance structures for a more equitable ecosystem? How can Africa take ownership of its own (football) development?Renowned football historian David Goldblatt and Sports for Development guru Prof Oscar Mwaana will answer these and other pertinent questions. FFA's Brian Wesaaala will moderate the discussion.

Transforming Our Game

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Transforming Our Game

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