Pre 1994, South Africa was a divided nation, more so when it involved sports. Most people from different backgrounds never supported the same sports and some of these trends have stuck throughout the duration of the democratic South Africa.
Rugby and Cricket are generally well supported in the Cape, but also well supported, mostly by whites. There are usually massive turnouts both at Newlands Cricket Stadium as well as Newlands Rugby Stadium. Where does it go wrong then for our beloved football in the Mother City?
Football in general is a well-supported sport, but often only by the previously disadvantaged, which poses the threat of affordability in terms of transport, ticket purchases, etc.
There is cause for concern though as some football fans flock to support more successful teams, who play a better brand of The Beautiful Game. Perhaps in search of value for money they watch winning teams instead.
Sports fans round the world all expect their teams to be successful, to be the best that they can be and above all else, win. It's healthy to have a winning mentality, as it pushes players to be better, stronger and faster for the sake of pleasing their club bosses and spectators.
The PSL title has eluded Cape Town since Santos won it in the 2001/2002 PSL season. Ajax came close to winning the title in the 2010/2011 campaign, eventually ending the season as runners-up.
In Cape Town, the general opinion of people supporting Chiefs and Pirates is that it has been passed down from generation to generation. A trend which seems like it will continue for generations to come. Up country teams seems to have the upper hand in all regards.
Boebie Solomons – Bloemfontein Celtic Assistant Coach/Former Santos Coach - speaks about the problems with Cape Town's football
"In the past we have been segregated by the apartheid laws, so a lot of people had to support teams only in their communities. Black people identified with black clubs, white people identified with white clubs and that is also something to be looked at.
"It seems in Cape Town the past is still a little bit engrained in our minds. In Bloemfontein, the black people, white people, coloured people and even Chinese people are all supporting Bloemfontein Celtic. When families support a team, the chances are very good that the children will support that team, and even the children's children. That is a mentality that people have in other parts of the world.
"People in Manchester support either Manchester United or Manchester City, so too people from Cape Town must try to support Ajax Cape Town as much as they can now. This is how people must align themselves and not based on the past."
Shooz Mekuto - Ajax Cape Town PRO - Gives his take on why things don't always go according to plan for his club.
"In terms of lifestyle, people walk around in the streets, in the train, in a bar or at taverns, people talk about winning teams. Chiefs and Pirates are known as winners. When people talk football, they hardly ever discuss a team who haven't won anything.
"If you look at the English football for example, the reason why there are so many Chelsea fans all of a sudden is because of the trophies they have won.
"Jose Mourinho came in and started winning things for the club. In that way, he also won over fan for the club. A fan of a smaller team could dump his team because of the success of the bigger clubs.
What I'm trying to say is that every local team has to have a level of identity with success for people to convert into that particular team."
Being born and bred in Cape Town was always a difficult thing for someone with a dream of becoming a professional player. Five years after that dream was taken away, I still see so much young talent in the country going to waste.
For some it's a lack of passion for the game, for others it may be a misfortune when it comes to getting spotted. Whatever the reason though, our nation must unite to breed our next Bafana squad...
By Julian Bailey
Follow Julian on Twitter: @kwetsa_89
