International photographer Alistair Berg has been attending World Cups for the past twenty years, capturing both players and fans alike, but it was the latter that particularly caught his imagination, says berg: “The fans are often more interesting than the players!”

As a result, his latest work focusing on fans over the course of the past two decades is soon to be published in a photographic essay entitled Dreams & Goals. Addressing a recent meeting of the 2010 Central City Partners Forum, Berg explained that his experience over the years has also enabled him to witness the evolution of the World Cup, from its ‘dark’ days of soccer hooliganism in the 1980s, to the sophisticated marketing and sponsorship event it has become today.

Among the insights he shared with Forum members were the following:

• During the 1990 World Cup in Italy, alcohol was banned from midnight before a match to midnight thereafter!
• Even though soccer was not a popular sport in the USA, the 1994 World Cup held in the USA had the best-attended local audiences. He compared this to South Africa, noting that this country was at a great advantage simply because of the awareness of the event. “Even the school holidays have been changed to accommodate it!”
• The 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea saw new markets opening in Asia – even though the destinations were perceived to be long-haul and expensive (particularly Japan), and followed in the wake of 9/11. However, these challenges gave locals more of an opportunity to participate and shine – particularly the Koreans who really got “behind their team”.
• Germany 2006 saw the incorporation of more formalised events outside of the stadiums with the introductions of Fan Parks and Fan Miles (to be respectively called Fan Fests and Fan Walks in 2010), as well as a vast number of private viewing areas inside venues such as shopping centres. This was also first World Cup with substantial cell phone coverage. “This alone has revolutionised the way in which fans communicate with each other once they are in a city,” notes Berg.
• It is important to entertain fans beyond the game: for those coming for the full duration (should their teams be lucky enough to go all the way to the Final), fans will only be watching soccer for a small percentage of the time they are here, and because SA is a large country, many fans will remain in the bases they choose (unlike in 2006, when the transportation system in Germany – particularly rail – enabled easy and quick access between Host Cities.)

Reminding the audience that the FIFA World Cup is today officially the single, largest cultural event on Earth, Beg had a final message Capetonians to be, above all else, “tolerant” of World Cup fans.

To check out the photos, click here.

“Tolerance is the key to the success of this event,” says Berg. “For example, if a bunch of guys walk into your pub carrying bears they bought in another venue, don’t chase them out – that will simply lead to confrontation. Welcome them with the understanding that the next round they buy from your establishment! See the potential of how to unarm the situation rather than cause a bigger problem.”

Related posts:

1. The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw
2. The FIFA World Cup Fan: understanding who’s coming to town
3. Cape Town Fifa Fan Fest: It’s Everyone’s Game, Tuesday 29 June
4. The FIFA By Law: What it means for business
5. Doing it in the Central City during the 2010 FIFA World Cup