James Torvaney

Jun 12, 2024 | sportspromedia.com | James Torvaney

It’s been hard to ignore the increased presence of African athletes in top-level sports in recent decades. In 1992, English soccer’s Premier League featured just three African players in Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Ndlovu, and George Ndah. By 2023, this number had grown to more than 50. It would be even higher if including African-eligible players who opted to play for European nations, such as Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Jun 12, 2024 | sportspromedia.com | James Torvaney

Many involved in African sports consider poor infrastructure a key factor holding back the industry’s development and commercialisation. While there is growing demand from rights holders and fans to stage and attend more sporting events in Africa, much of the infrastructure – where it exists at all – consists of poorly-maintained stadiums built decades ago, which are often situated in hard-to-reach locations, far from the bustling urban centres that house the demand.

Jun 12, 2024 | sportspromedia.com | James Torvaney

I could never offer a comprehensive view of Africa’s sports industry without mentioning sports betting. The region has the fastest growing gross gaming revenue in the world, and domestic and foreign capital has poured in over the last decade. This has fuelled a proliferation in online sports betting platforms, and the sector provides the advertising revenues that keep much of the wider sports industry afloat.

Jun 5, 2024 | sportspromedia.com | James Torvaney

“The biggest problem we have in the industry is getting accurate and reliable data,” says Nqobile Ndlovu, former marketing lead at Betway and director of South Africa-based sports business consultancy Cash N Sports. Sport commands huge audiences across Africa, but rights holders often lack the structures and data to offer compelling sponsorship opportunities.

Jun 5, 2024 | sportspromedia.com | James Torvaney

Marc Jury, chief executive of pan-African broadcaster Multichoice, reckons there are “more than 250 million avid football lovers in Africa.” His counterpart at England’s Premier League, Richard Masters, has meanwhile claimed 20 per cent of the league’s global TV audience comes from the continent, describing Africa as “incredibly important” to the competition.