THE MANAGEMENT OF FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN GAUTENG by MANDY-LEE SOLOMON SHORT DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MAGISTER COMMERCII in BUSINESS MANAGEMENT in the FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG Supervisor: PROF C. SINGH JANUARY 2008 ABSTRACT South Africa are the proud hosts of the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup™, and deservedly so. A significant effort has been placed in winning the bid and continues this continues to be the situation as construction and infrastructure are being put in place for event. Time is fast becoming limited, now with just less than three years to go, proper development is essential. Outside the rush and pressure to be ready for this event and the economic benefits that that are attached, the opportunity exists to divert some of that momentum into something that will last way beyond 2010 – sustainable youth development programmes and football clubs. This entails that grassroots development and youth football development programs are structured and sustainable in order for well-rounded, well-developed players to graduate from it for many years to come. This study set out to ascertain the extent to which business management principles are applied in the management of football, as well as to explore the availability and applicability of policies and programmes provided by government and the national federation. The exact population size was extremely challenging to determine, largely due to insufficient and non-centralised record keeping by national and regional administrators. A sample size of 30 (n=30) that was geographically representative of Gauteng, was drawn. Researcher-administered interviews, with questionnaires, were used in the investigation. Meaningful insight was provided in the fact that only 33% of the respondents were aware of the White Paper on Sport and Recreation South Africa and indicated that there was a degree of alignment to it. The study highlighted the fact that while this document, and other policies regulating and supporting sport and sport development nationally are available, the respondents indicated a general lack of knowledge of these tools made available by the South African Department for Sport and Recreation and its partners. The National Federation, SAFA, devote little effort to football development programmes and while strides are being made in this regard, the increments of success are very small and potential benefits do not materialise. One further aspect concluded from the study was the lack of a clear understanding of what sport development, and football in particular, encompasses, and thus what a development programme should include. Current football programmes were found to be lacking with regard to the holistic development of players, as well as coaches, administrators and officials, in areas that extend beyond the tactical and technical aspects of football. Keywords: management; business management; football clubs; development programmes; development clubs; academies Declaration of original work I, Mandy-lee Solomon, declare that this dissertation is my own unaided work. Any assistance that I have received has been duly acknowledged in the dissertation. It is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce at the University of Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination at this or at any other University. ………………………………… …………………………. (NAME) (DATE) (Day, Month, Year) Acknowledgements I would like to express gratitude toward the following individuals and institutions: My study leader, Prof Paul Singh, for the leadership and guidance he provided throughout my studies. He demonstrated great patience and motivation especially at the toughest of times. Mr. Chris Fortuin, Mr Zunaid Mall and all the other football administrators who assisted me throughout my research. The respondents from the various clubs for assisting in my data collection. My friends and family for the motivation and patience provided throughout the duration of this study. ANNEXURE A: EXAMPLE OF QUESTIONNAIRE USED IN RESEARCHER- ADMINISTERED INTERVIEW Dear Sir/Madam I am currently undertaking research regarding the ‘Management of Football Development Programmes in Gauteng’. The purpose of this research is to establish the important components of the management of football development programmes and the level of success attained by the development programme. South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, exorbitant sums of investment in stadia, football development programmes on the increase, and significant amounts of resources into football countrywide has lead to widespread interest in football and in particular, Football Development Programmes. However, information regarding the structure of football development programmes in Gauteng, in particular, the management of the programmes, the level of success attained and a best practice model is limited. It is envisaged that the results of this survey will lead to a better understanding of the current practice within football development programmes in Gauteng and a formulation of a good practice model. It would be greatly appreciated if you, as a development officer of the Football Development Programme, would kindly complete the attached questionnaire. Your input is very valuable. The input gathered from your responses will be used for research purposes only. Your responses are confidential and voluntary. The questionnaire should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete, while the potential impact of your participation will last much longer, in the further development of football within Gauteng, and South Africa. Kindly complete the questionnaire with me, the interviewer. Please remember that the quality of the research product and its contribution is largely dependent on the quality of the information received. I thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Yours faithfully __________________ _______________ Mandy-Lee Solomon Prof. C. Singh ________________________________________________________________ For office use only Region number: Questionnaire number: ANNEXURE B 1. For how long (in completed years) has your development programme been operational? 0 (less than 1 – 3 years 4 – 6 years 7 – 9 years ≥ 10 years 1 year) 2. Which of the following age groups does your programme cater for (mark all appropriate groups)? □ 7 – 12 years □ 13 - 15 years □ 16 - 19 years □ 20 - 21 years □ Older than 21 years 3. Approximately how many players in each of the following age groups currently form part of your football development programme? Age group No. of players 7 – 12 years 13 – 15 years 16 – 19 years 20 – 21 years Older than 21 years Reserve league players 4. To what extent is a clear path for development available for players in your development programme? To no extent To some extent To a large extent Totally 5. For what percentage of the development players are clear development plans currently established? 0% 1 – 25% 26 – 50% 51 – 75% 76 – 99% 100% 6. Approximately what percentage of players entering your football development programme, also completes the development programme? 0% 1 – 25% 26 – 75% 76 - 99% 100% 7. Approximately what percentage of players entering your football development structure, have been promoted to the first team of any premier league football club, either South African or International in the last 2 football seasons? 0% 1 – 25% 26 – 75% 76 - 99% 100% 8. In which of the following leagues does your football development programme play in (Mark all applicable)? Yes Premier Soccer league Mvela league Vodacom league (second division) Castle league (third division) Regional leagues Local leagues Other If ‘other’ has been selected, please provide details: ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 9. How many of the players of your football development structure have been selected for any of the following teams in the last year? Number of Total number of players national caps Under 20 (Ama gita) Under 23 (Ama glug glug Bafana Bafana (SA National Team ) 10. Which of the following roles, and associated functions, are filled within your football development programme? If your answer is Yes, please indicate the number of persons in that role/ No Yes No. of persons in this role Coach(es) Goalkeeper coach(es) Biokineticist / Physiotherapist / Physical Trainer Team manager(s) Welfare worker and/or psychologist Education Officer Club owner(s) Administration Support function 11. For which of the following roles is there a training and development plan in place (mark all applicable)? Role Yes Senior management Coaching staff Administrative staff Support staff (e.g. kit assistant) 12. Please indicate how many coaches of each of the following types in your development programme have the qualifications indicated in the table below. SAFA SAFA SAFA SAFA UEFA B UEFA FUTURO Other 0 1 2 3 Pro A Head Coach(es) Coach(es) Goalkeeper Coach(es) Other If ‘other’ has been selected, please provide details: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 13. a) Does your development programme or football club have a Workplace Skills Plan in place? YES NO DO NOT KNOW b) If yes, has the plan been