Mega sporting events and their structural legacies: A focused look at the attendance of Premier Soccer League games at four 2010 FIFA World Cup flagship stadia in South Africa

Mega sporting events are one of the most hotly contested and highly sought after events by countries in contemporary times, and more so recently by developing countries. They are rightly or wrongly viewed as catalysts for economic and infrastructural development. The most prominent infrastructural legacies that are by-products of mega sporting event are stadia. A significant body of research surrounding mega-events today no longer focusses around hosting but rather the sustainability of mega-events especially in developing economies. In South Africa, the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup saw the construction and refurbishment of stadia. Post the World Cup, stadia are largely being used by football teams in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), which is South Africa’s top flight football league. Attendance in the PSL has been a challenge for quite some time and this has placed a financial burden on local municipalities to foot the bill on unprofitable stadia. The aim of the research is to underscore the attendance figures at PSL matches played at four flagship World Cup stadia in South Africa and based on the findings aspire to shed some light regarding the layered environment impacting attendance at PSL matches.