Soccer Laduma Blog By Clint Roper

The focus this week shifts towards the Soweto Derby. It's a full house as always and we're expecting a humdinger. There is a great derby analysis by David Minchella in the paper and there are four derby-day posters for you to put up on your wall or to take to the stadium on match day. It's a must get edition if you're a derby fan! By the way, if you are spotted at the derby with a poster by one of our cameramen and he snaps a shot of you with a poster, there is a good chance you might just feature in next week's edition of Soccer Laduma.    It's the one fixture in South African soccer that truly represents the face of South African football. It represents the passion that we have for the sport. It's also a huge tribute to the two clubs involved, who continue to make themselves relevant, continue to push the boundaries in terms of marketing themselves and so continue to lead the pack in terms of media coverage. There is just something special about Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.   Yet after this game, we go back to thousands of bare seats in stadiums, which is why you need to head to Supporters Club where we are trying to get to the bottom of poor stadium attendance. We've been talking about the issue of pricing in Supporters Club, and Joseph Betrand, one of the guys who follows me on twitter, made a good point.    He tweeted to me in response to my column entitled "Perhaps 'FREE' Should be an option for PSL tickets" saying:     FREE entry for the #Swallows vs #Chippa game yesterday, and stadium was 3/4 empty... Not a price problem, then what is it?! @SoccaClint #PSL Joseph Bertrand @JoBertrand19   Now it's true, the turnout for the Swallows game didn't look fantastic, despite there being free entry, but maybe it's because it was not really marketed as well as it could have been. Yes, it was on the Swallows website, but we have a Fan Park section on the Soccer Laduma website and all PSL clubs are more than welcome to send us relevant content for their fans and we will post it in their club's Fan Park to help get the message out, especially when it comes to positive initiatives like the one Swallows took last weekend.    However, it's clear that while pricing is part of the problem, it certainly is just the tip of the iceberg. Based on the feedback we've been getting, poor stadium attendance is due to a myriad of issues.    Zwelethu, a young Soccer Laduma reader who has been following the attendance conversation, wrote in from Cape Town, saying, "The sooner they sort out the problem of smoking (and I assume he is not talking about cigarettes) and alcohol use in stadiums, the more conducive the environment will be for families." He also mentions that double headers are a great way to get more people to stadiums as it is really good value for money.   I'd be interested to hear your take on smoking and drinking at stadiums and if it has stopped you from coming to games. Let me know as we continue to grow the document we are putting together which will hopefully help address stadium attendance issues in South African soccer.   But back to the derby… There are a lot of sub-plots to this derby encounter that makes it a fascinating contest.    VV is out to prove a point to Kaizer Chiefs is an issue that a lot of people are focussing on. There is the absence of Khune in Chiefs' goal, and whether that will hurt Chiefs as his deputies will now be thrown into the derby cauldron. There is the growing excitement around a possible Bucs frontline of Erasmus and Majoro. There is Majoro out to prove a point to Kaizer Chiefs. There is the bragging rights that Pirates fans would have if they defeated Kaizer Chiefs a second time in a row when you consider the CBL Cup has already gone to the Buccaneers this season. There is the psychological blow that could be struck by either team ahead of their first league encounter. And there is the little matter of R8 million that, no doubt, the players will want to get the lion's share of in player bonuses.   Yes, it's all to play for as the derby rolls out in all its glory this weekend. We hope both coaches continue with their 'brave football'. Cup Finals have a way of making the bravest coaches cowardly in their approach, so stay brave Coach VV and Bax and give South Africa a show!   Shapa, Clint   Click Here To Watch The Editors Column