Ronwen Williams, the esteemed captain of Bafana Bafana, has shared his insights on rekindling the passion of South African football fans and encouraging them to return to the stadiums in support of the national team.
Williams, who currently showcases his skills at Mamelodi Sundowns, recently joined forces with his Bafana Bafana comrades in the training camp ahead of the two highly-anticipated friendlies scheduled for October.
While the South African football community mourned the loss faced by Williams and his Sundowns team in the MTN8 final against Orlando Pirates, he’s now directing his energy towards national duties.
The heart-wrenching defeat saw Pirates and Sundowns engage in a fierce goalless draw that extended into extra time and culminated in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Unfortunately, Williams couldn’t prevent three of Orlando Pirates’ penalties from finding the back of the net.
RONWEN WILLIAMS’ INVALUABLE INSIGHTS FOR SAFA
With his focus firmly back on national duty, Ronwen Williams is not only a resilient leader on the pitch but also an advocate for change off it. He offers a compelling suggestion to the South African Football Association (SAFA) on how to entice supporters back into the stadiums.
In recent friendlies against Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the sight of thousands of empty seats at Orlando Stadium painted a stark contrast to the electrifying atmosphere football can create.
Williams’ advice serves as a beacon of hope, providing a strategic vision for SAFA to rally fans and fill the stadiums once more, forging a deeper connection between the team and their passionate supporters.
“Obviously it’s not nice, we don’t enjoy playing in front of empty stadiums. It doesn’t give a good taste and we don’t get a good vibe” Williams said.
“Like I said in my previous press conference, maybe we need to do more as the association and as the team.
“I remember before we used to go to malls and schools to give back [to the community]. The fans now feel like there’s no link between the two of us, they just see us on the field.
“So maybe we need to do more as a team and the association to put us out there. We go around malls, signing off autographs and getting to know each other on a personal level.
“And it started last month when we went to a school in Soweto. Hopefully, we can do more of that to get supporters behind us again.”
