The Passage Project

2010 World Cup South Africa and Ticket Sales

Last week, FIFA released the latest information on 2010 World Cup ticket sales. The first phase of tickets sales will begin February 20 until March 31, 2009. Ticket sales will be determined by random drawing April 15, 2009 after the application process is complete.

When addressing ticket availability, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said,"Our ticketing policy has been drawn up to reflect our determination to ensure that FIFA's flagship competition is accessible to all football fans. We hope that you will come and enjoy the game!"

For an application and more information, visit FIFA's website.

I plan to attend the games in South Africa but I haven't even started to look into it yet. I guess I better get moving. I hope to see you there.

2010 World Cup To Remain in South Africa

 

Image of FIFA President Sepp Blatter courtesy of The Guardian.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke out earlier this week regarding rumors that FIFA is considering moving the 2010 World Cup from South Africa. ”There is no Plan B, C, or D - for those who still have doubts, I tell you the 2010 World Cup will be organized in South Africa.”

Let's hope not. I interned at the 1996 World Cup in Chicago when the games were held in the United States and I look forward to attending the event in South Africa. It will be wonderful for the country's economy, it's people and the African continent as a whole. Maybe I better get organized and start planning my trip.

UPDATE 12/20/08:

Go to the website SouthAfrica.info to see their photo gallery of the country's stadiums and plans for the games. The site South Africa 2010 also is tracking the progress of the World Cup in addition to having a clock counting down to the big day when the games begin June 11, 2010. They also have safety and security information, volunteer news, and the world from Nelson Mandela.

Theater: Boys in the Photograph and 2010 World Cup/South Africa

Courtesy of the Johannesburg Civic Theater

There is now another reason to attend the 2010/South Africa World Cup.  Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton have adapted Webber's 2000 musical The Beautiful Game. Produced by the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, it will premiere at the Nelson Mandela Theatre in 2010 and will be one of the many cultural events that will be produced in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup. The story follows the lives of a group of boys playing on the same soccer team who are surrounded by the violence in Northern Ireland in the late 1960's. According to the Johannesburg Civic Theater announcement, "The musical is set in Belfast, Ireland, between 1969 and 1972, but could just as easily be set in Kosovo, Beirut, Jerusalem or the South Africa of not so many years ago. The themes of THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH are universal: all over the world, communities are challenged by hatred."

The play will be workshopped at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts April 16-19 and will also run in Canada in 2009.

While in South Africa, the show will feature a multi-racial South African cast and will run from Monday, May 23rd, 2010 through Sunday, August 8th, 2010. A limited number of tickets are available now at Computicket. Group rates are available.

2010 World Cup/South Africa Tickets

For the first time in its history, FIFA will be holding the World Cup in Africa. South Africa to be exact. So what is probably the most often asked question regarding the World Cup?

When are tickets going on sale?

The answer to that question still has not been announced but it appears it will be some time in 2008. I will definitely post the information when I hear something. What has been annouced is that 3 million tickets will be going on sale and that the World Cup will be held in ten stadiums in the following nine cities: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg.

One of my main questions is: will FIFA offer special tickets or group outings to the many young South African soccer (football) players? I am not sure if that's been done at previous World Cup's but I'm going to look into it and post what I find. My bet is yes.

World Cup 2010/South Africa Volunteer Search

Starting in March, applications will be available for roughly 15,000 volunteer positions through the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ Local Organising Committee (LOC). Ordinary citizens and specialists will be recruited  and the more specialized positions will include those in the medical, legal, information technology fields as well as translators. Jobs for the general public will include hospitality, transporation, spectator services, and logistics.

There will be other volunteer positions available through World Cup sponsors such as ball girls and boys and flag bearers.

The South African host cities are Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Pretoria, Nelspruit and Rustenburg.

When the World Cup was held in the United States in 1994, I was a college student and interned in the main FIFA office in Chicago. I highly recommend getting involved if you can.