Cape Town Football Debut — Hidden Football

“You're going to the soccer?”

“Yes, have you been before?”

“No - I'm more of a rugby fan myself to be honest, sure you'll have a laugh though...”

Whilst on holiday in Cape Town a couple of years ago, I was keen to experience as much of South African culture as possible. Sitting in the sun-kissed garden of a Constantia vineyard, it was our sommelier who expressed his, and clearly his nation's, favouritism for the egg shaped ball. It seemed football has traditionally been the poor relation, playing third fiddle to rugby and cricket in the hearts of the many South African sports fans.

Despite the hype created during the 2010 World Cup, the first to be hosted on African soil, there is little evidence to suggest the standing of the sport has grown as it might have done. As in most cities on the planet, you are never far away from a Manchester United or Barcelona shirt. However, aside from the occasional yellow and black Kaizer Chiefs jersey (a popular Johannesburg team), there is little evidence to suggest the South African domestic game has captured the collective imagination.

To put that theory to the test, my sister and I rounded off our typical tourists’ day with a twist - a visit to Green Point stadium to see Cape Town City play Highlands FC in a Tuesday evening match in the domestic Premier League.

CTCFC were new to Cape Town, and this was in fact their first season, with the owners relocating a previous football franchise (Black Aces) from the North of the country. Their intention it seems was to create a rival for Cape Town’s traditional football powerhouse, Ajax Cape Town (paired with the Dutch giants), and we were curious to see how they were settling in.

Our morning hike up Lion's Head (a rocky peak right next to Table Mountain) gave us stunning views of the city and the sea, the stadium forming a prominent part of the Cape's coastline scenery. Followed by the wine tasting and a dinner at the city's stunning Waterfront, as kick off time neared we took a short taxi down to the game. Our Uber driver shared the opinion of the wine merchant, suggesting a rugby fixture at nearby Newlands would be his preferred sporting outing.

My last visit to Green Point was in 2010, as I was lucky enough to attend the World Cup semi final between Holland and Uruguay. Surrounding streets were swathed in orange and blue, as 55,000 piled into the brand new stadium. Thousands more occupied the newly manicured parks and squares between the stadium and the sea.

Today was a slightly different story, as our taxi pulled up right to the foot of the stadium with barely a soul in sight. A handful of shirts from world football could be seen as people strolled towards the game, with the wearers of a yellow Neymar jersey and the red and black of Brazil's Recife posing for a selfie as we exited the car. Without tickets (we had tried repeatedly online for days to no avail), we approached the nearest stewards who abruptly informed us the office was closed, on the day of the game...

A sole tout offered us tickets for 40 Rand a piece - and short of change we gave him 100 for the two, equating to exactly £6. After the compulsory security pat down and ticket swipe, we climbed the stairs and entered Green Point. I reminisced about my previous visit, remembering the painted faces, eclectic fan base and orchestra of vuvuzelas. What greeted us this time was a much quieter and more exclusive affair, with barely 500 fans in attendance.

The iconic Green Point Stadium, which sits on the coastline a stone’s throw from Cape Town’s Waterfront.

Despite the subdued atmosphere, this at least meant there was no queue for the bar. To our delight, and by contrast to UK football, we could drink the beer at our seat. Upon closer observation of our plastic pint glasses, we spotted the first sign of FIFA’s SA legacy…the ‘World Cup 2010’ logo was printed on the side of each and every one.

Within seconds of sitting down, a moment of class from a Cape Town striker lit up the empty stadium. A curling effort from outside the penalty area, he guided the ball up and over the outstretched hands of the keeper, rippling the net as if it was water. The smattering of vuvuzelas showed their appreciation, with blue and gold flags (the colours of Cape Town), flickering amongst the standing crowd. Any doubts I had about the quality of football on display quickly faded – the game was pacey and full of flair, with highlight material every few minutes.

The crowd (all 500 of us) was an incredible mixture of nationalities, with jerseys from all corners of the world punctuating the occasional blue and gold. A clear sign of football’s global appeal to Cape Town’s multi-cultural and tourist-heavy population, even if the locals hadn’t quite signed up en masse as yet. Popcorn was sold at 20 Rand a go, with an unlimited ‘top it up yourself’ option, and vendors roamed the empty seats and rows, hawking all manner of snacks and souvenirs.

A lonely ‘fan shop’ attendant was delighted when we decided to become fully fledged CTCFC fans for the evening, impulse buying shirts and flags, most likely as a result of the cheap and queue-free beer. The team’s badge was instantly striking, its minimal and sleek design closer resembling a car or fashion brand as oppose to the traditional crests of the olden days, a modern identity for a brand new team (not dissimilar to the infamous Juventus rebrand which happened just a few months after CTCFC’s launch).

The official kit press shots from last season - now a proud owner of a replica.

As the second half began, more and more fans began to join the huddled 500, with chants and the occasional mexican wave entertaining us when the football failed to. Africans and South Americans (clearly on a giant school trip from Brazil), created and sang chants in unison, regaling us with impressive versions of ‘we love you city, we do’ and ‘I’ve never felt more like singing the blues’.

‘This is more fun than watching Man United’, proudly claimed my sister, who had been lucky enough to witness a couple of stale 0-0’s under the David Moyes regime, and felt the blend of novelty fan activity and fast paced football far exceeded the entertainment value of some Premier League matches. Roy Keane’s ‘prawn sandwich brigade’ comments instantly sprung to mind, a reminder that despite its media-grabbing monopoly, top flight football is not always the most genuine or exciting to be involved in.

The game finished a convincing 3-0 victory for the hosts, leaving the melting pot of Cape Town fans in joyous spirits as Green Point emptied. After growing up with the old-school tradition and history of English football, with century old clubs and well established hierarchies, it was fascinating to see the birth of a new team in a global city.

As we left the stadium that day, I vowed to return one day to dig deeper into the world of Cape Town football, to understand more about the status of the game around the country, (and to have more excuses to don my newly purchased blue and gold CTCFC Umbro jersey).