The writer is on record on more than a few occasions to have proclaimed that Banyana is going to be the best and most successful football national team in this country for many years to come. They will most probably qualify for and be competitive in more international competitions than any of our other teams male included. The Under 17 and 20 women will probably be competitive too and benefit from this but the focus of this piece is Banyana as the flagship elite team. So it came as no surprise to this writer when SA triumphed in Morocco having beaten the number 1 team and the hosts to win its maiden WAFCON title last weekend.
SAFA and their long-term partner in women’s football Sasol must be congratulated for the work they have done given their limited resources. The team has been in the final game of women’s AFCON 6 of the 13 times they have participated in it. In fact only twice (in 13 WAFCONs) have they failed to make the last 4 and that was in 1998 and 2004. Some of the remarkable examples of this commitment by SAFA include starting the league even before they had a sponsor and funding it from the nonexistent “cash reserves”. This is despite the lack of support for women’s football by the majority of elite clubs in South Africa.
That is why Banyana arrived at this tournament as one of the highest ranked teams in FIFA Women’s national team. At the time of writing this South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is hosting a reception for the returning Africa champions at Union Buildings. The performance of Banyana in these championships has predictably raised the clamour and calls for an equal pay argument. Indeed, the President also added his voice to this chorus. I do not doubt that this sentiment is shared by the majority of the people in this country. I think SAFA has already stated its desire to achieve this ambition. The reality is that while we may all agree with this in principle, the economic realities are far more complex and the dynamics are multi-faceted than some amongst us tend to suggest. For this to be realized one cannot just make this argument without understanding its economic realities and the implications of implementing it.
A lot had been said about the US women’s football national team example. Let us look at that case for a moment by way of context. In the US the women’s game is far more successful than its male counterpart internationally both regionally as in CONCACAF and internationally as in winning multiple FIFA World Cups and Olympic football titles. United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) 2019 FIFA World Cup final against Holland was watched by 20m viewers on FOX, the most watched soccer match since 25m that watched the 2015 World Women’s Cup final also featuring USWNT. These figures are far higher than US men ever get. In 2019 USWNT delivered higher attendances than USMNT at 25k and 23k average per match respectively. Between 2015 and 2019 USWNT made more money ($25m) than USMNT ($19M). Women played more games in that period but also made more money per game. The game is far more developed with a strong club structure in place.
So the facts that underpin the USWNT case could not be more different. Indeed Banyana is undoubtedly more successful now and will probably be for many years to come. While the principle of equal pay for equal work is something we must all uphold and pursue, we have to understand and be truthful in framing this in its proper context. If two groups of workers do the same work but deliver vastly different commercial values to the employer equal pay cannot apply but fair and equitable is probably a better approach. If both Banyana and Bafana win the World Cup and AFCON based on the most recent prize money SAFA will receive $43m for Bafana and $4.5m for Banyana. Equal pay suggests SAFA will need to pay both sets of players $1.8m each assuming 100% of the prize money divided by 23 players. In effect SAFA will need to fund an additional $38.5m i.e. difference between what women earn and what men earn in prize money in this example, to fund the bonus pool to fulfil the equal pay commitment. is R655m at today’s exchange rate. Clearly, that is not feasible or logical. However fair and equitable pay approach says if men get 50% or 100% of the prize money so should the women. SAFA could even say we will give women 100% of the winnings and men 50% but that most like will be unacceptable to men and could not stand legal scrutiny. The match fees can be equalized if the funding allows for this is the USWNT case they have but for the same reason, they still can equalize the bonus pool because they don’t control the prize money that funds the bonus pool. A fair and equitable pay approach suggests that not only can women earn the same, but they could earn more than men. Who is to bet against that? If Banyana continues to outperform Bafana in international competitions, they could generate more value and not just match but surpass Bafana’s earnings.
How then do we ensure that we can get closer to realizing the principle of equal work for equal pay? The answer lies in remembering how the sport creates commercial value. It starts and ends with the consumer and the fans. Banyana have now done its part. We, the general population, must now do ours. It is no use shouting equal pay if you cannot do your part.
The next time Banyana play if 20k people show up at the stadium and pay R50 a person, that is R1m more than SAFA gets today. Scratch that let us fill up FNB stadium the next they play and again and again that is R4.5m in gate fees alone (before expenses) per match. That is all sponsors and broadcasters want as a signal that if they invest in women’s football, they will get their return. Show up at Banyana and Hollywood Bets Super league matches in big numbers bring your families, buy Banyana and women’s club team merchandise and tune in when they play on TV tune, follow them on social media. On some level, the TV audiences are already quite good, but they can be better. That will ensure that the US case study that so many refer to can now look like an “apple for apple” comparison. Most importantly that is the only way we can all help Banyana build on this success and accelerate the growth of the women’s game into the future.
This, however, is also not enough to drive the growth of the women’s game because women’s football must be and will always be part of a broader national football ecosystem. To realise what I mention above one needs an ecosystem built to constantly drive growth in participation at all levels. School and community sport must be re-energized as a cradle on which the nation’s sports sits. More and more girls must play year on year from as early an age as possible and for as long as possible. Some will become players, others coaches, referees and administrators, volunteers and lifelong fans. That is what drives the growth of the sport anywhere, any sport. In many ways, it is a bit of a miracle how SA women’s football has continued to grow amidst such calamity and mediocrity all around them. SA football’s vital measures of performance are all going in the wrong direction whether one looks at the decline of school sport, club football not being competitive internationally, our players not making internationally, corporate investment flight, declining attendances, and TV viewership. This is not an ecosystem within which women’s football can grow. This must be turned around if women’s football is to take advantage of this massive opportunity.
All of this can only be possible with a trustworthy, dependable, strategic, reputable, competent and able South African Football Association (SAFA). There is no doubt that SAFA deserves a lot of credit for the progress that Banyana. But equally true is that Banyana has also achieved this despite SAFA. If Banyana is to realize its full potential SAFA has to do better, much better. One of the ways SAFA can better serve football is to be less inwardly focused and open the organization up to outside influences. This notion that football can only look inside its structure for leadership, inspiration and direction is fundamentally flawed and stunts the organization’s growth. There are signs that this may be happening.
As dark a place as South African football may be in many of its aspects Banyana shines the brightest and perhaps the spark the nation’s game needs to reignite itself. But that will require every aspect of the football ecosystem to come together and be better. Banyana have reminded us once again that despite where one thinks we may be as a football nation now we can be so much more. I expect Banyana star to shine even brighter despite us, long may it continue.
