This comes after the province successfully bid to host the conference and exhibition, which will showcase all football stakeholders under one roof.

"The hosting of an event of the calibre of Soccerex in Gauteng will give us a further opportunity to position ourselves as a globally competitive city region," Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said Monday.

"This is in line with our efforts to promote the province as the preferred destination for investment, tourism and competitive sport."

The exhibition, now in its 10th year and having toured cities around the world, is coming to Gauteng from next year. It has previously been hosted by London, Paris and Los Angeles and is currently being hosted by Dubai.

The event will be held from November 2007, 2008 and 2009 and is expected to attract unprecedented attention, especially as it takes place in the build-up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC Barbara Creecy said: "The Gauteng province prides itself on being the ´home of champions' and the hosting of Soccerex is yet another example of the vision of our government and fellow stakeholders, as we strive to bring major sports events to our province."

Soccerex, the only business-to-business convention for football, includes a football festival, contributing to new ideas and innovation to take the sport into the future.

The event that brings together football legends, top clubs and playing nations saw about R5 billion worth of business deals negotiated during the 2005 event.

This amount is projected to jump to R7 billion when the event comes to Gauteng, with significant opportunities for both direct and indirect job creation, business, investment and tourism.

This is seen as another contribution to the province's efforts to achieve its 2014 targets of contributing to the national goal of halving poverty and unemployment and achieving an 8 percent growth rate, as set out in the provincial growth and development strategy.

Gauteng is South Africa's economic engine, responsible for over one third of the GDP and the fourth largest economy in Africa.

The province has also hosted major national and international sporting and cultural events including the Rugby World Cup Finals in 1995, the African Cup of Nations Football Finals in 1996, the All Africa Games Athletics in 1999; the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 and the Cricket World Cup Finals in 2003.

Gauteng is also home to the Cradle of Humankind, which was declared a world heritage site in 1999.

This and other tourist attractions in the province are expected to have delegates experiencing Gauteng's hospitality, enjoy the night life, get to learn about the evolution of humankind at Maropeng and visit Soweto, Alexandra and other areas.

Soccerex Chief Executive Officer Duncan Revie said he was proud to be bringing the convention to Gauteng and South Africa, pointing to the economic benefits for both the province and the country.

"We believe Gauteng can do wonders for Soccerex and Soccerex can do wonders for Gauteng," he said.

About 3000 professionals and 250 exhibitors from 75 different countries are expected to attend this year's event to in Dubai. - BuaNews

(Source: Bua news)

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