This archive report was first published on 11 July 2021.
July 11, 2021, marked a significant day in the world of South African soccer, as an official from a soccer club in the remote Cape Winelands area shed light on the sport's dual structure.
According to the official, soccer in South Africa has two distinct structures: organized and unorganized. The organized structure is governed by tournaments sanctioned by the South African Football Association (SAFA), while the unorganized framework allows anyone to organize a competition for money, with any team able to participate.
Organized soccer in South Africa can be played across multiple tiers under SAFA, with betting enthusiasts able to make wagers after downloading the Betway app. However, the unorganized structure of soccer among working people, dubbed 'gambling games,' has been the subject of post-doctoral study.
Research among farm laborers in Rawsonville, a commercial agricultural district in the Western Cape, revealed a rich and relevant world of working-class sports that opened up through the prism of 'unorganized' soccer. The fundamental idea driving the organization of unorganized soccer games and competitions was betting, with money, brandy, sheep, or other stakes being used.
The gambling games at Rawsonville were typically set up between two soccer clubs or squads, with a tournament defined as a competition between more than two teams for a single prize pool or other prizes. The games began when the players gathered, a referee was selected, and stakes were agreed upon.
While the tournament may be announced a week ahead of time, the actual number of participants would not be known until the day of the event. Late arrivals were not unusual and were quickly accommodated.
Despite the organized leagues associated with and administered by SAFA being regarded as more prestigious, they were supported – at least indirectly – by the unorganized system of gambling games. The chance of 'getting promoted to Castle league, Vodacom League, and the possibility of one day playing PSL' drew the great majority of soccer teams to SAFA's organized systems.
However, according to the same executive, despite SAFA's control over all soccer in South Africa, the organization has not made soccer accessible to everybody. 'We are being told that the benefits are being promoted to Castle (now SAB) regional league, Vodacom (provincial) League, and the possibility of one day playing PSL (Professional Soccer League), getting sponsorships from SAFA. But there is more money being invested in unorganized soccer than there is money being invested in organized soccer.'
He went on to say that the money wasn't SAFA's, but rather private money, referring to the funds that individuals or groups, primarily working men, invest in their own soccer teams.
