FIFA WORLD CUP
Up for
the cup
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WWW.HRGWORLDWIDE.COM
IMAGE SOURCE/ALAMY
HRG has a long-established reputation
in delivering expert travel management
solutions in the field of high-performance
sports. Jonathan Arnold
explores the roles of HRG
for this prestigious tournament
Y THE TIME you read this, the FIFA World
Cup – being held in South Africa between 11 June and 11 July – will
be well under way. Unless you have been living on the planet Zorg,
you cannot possibly have avoided the remorseless build-up, the TV
punditry, the forlorn hope of the so-called ‘minor’ teams to get past
the initial group stage and the desperate desire of the big names to lift
the trophy. It is all-pervasive. And outside of the Olympic Games there
is simply nothing else quite like it.
Each of the 32 teams that made it through to the finals has planned
and organised its trip to South Africa in minute detail. Every element,
however seemingly insignificant, can make a difference to the team’s
success. For Germany’s national football team the path to the finals
was achieved with what FIFA’s own official website described as
“clinical efficiency”. With “unbending resolve rather than sparkling
skill” Germany overcame Russia 1-0 in Moscow in the final qualifying
match to secure top spot and a trip to the finals. Now it was about
preparing for the event itself.
“Big footballing nations
start evaluating possible
camps earlier and
earlier. Brazil in 2014 is
already in negotiation”
WWW.HRGWORLDWIDE.COM
1BESTOFPHOTO/ALAMY
B
While head coach Joachim Loew pondered over his strike force
or the merits of 4-4-2, other less high-profile but equally important
people were dealing with the logistics of getting hundreds of players,
staff, families, media, special guests, sponsors and backroom people
from Germany to South Africa. Once there, they need to be housed,
fed, transported, organised, entertained and generally pampered
so that nothing would interfere with the on- and off-pitch success.
This is where HRG Germany and HRG South Africa have played a
crucial role.
Wolfgang Wirthmann, Managing Director of HRG Sports Europe,
says HRG has had a long-standing partnership with the DFB (the
German Football Association) and so has substantial experience of
managing such complex arrangements. “The process began almost two
years ago,” he says. “The key for us was to evaluate and secure the best
team-based camp for the DFB. Nothing could be left to chance. Does the
camp have the best fitness centre and training pitches? Where would
the media, the players’ families stay? Everything needs to be considered.”
The team-based camp is an anchor venue throughout the
tournament. It may not be particularly near the stadium where the
team actually plays its matches but it acts as an essential focal point.
The team returns there as soon as is practicable after each game,
giving a sense of consistency and camaraderie during the event.
Potentially, this is home for as long as a month. Wirthmann
continues: “The decision on which camp would be used was made in
December 2008 with the proviso, of course, that the team actually
qualified! Once it did, our option on the camp was formalised by
contract. When we were looking at possible camps there were
representatives of other Football Associations there as well, so there
was competition for the best ones.” Wirthmann adds that all the big
footballing nations start evaluating possible camps earlier and earlier.
“Brazil in 2014 is already in negotiation,” adds Wirthmann, “and
>>
after Euro 2012 it will start in earnest.”
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For this World Cup, all of the hundreds of people involved in the
German team’s efforts have to first be transported from Germany to
South Africa. Wirthmann explains that HRG and the DFB have a close
co-operation with Lufthansa, the national carrier, and that “the flight
carrying the German team, their families and about 80 media to
South Africa will be special”. It is expected to be Lufthansa’s maiden
flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg in the extraordinary new
‘double-decker’ Airbus A380.
Once there, the German team camp will be based in Centurion,
located between Johannesburg and Pretoria. In the Group stages at
least, Germany will play its matches in Durban, Port Elizabeth and
Johannesburg. This means that HRG South Africa needs to organise
travel for the team and all the support staff, families, sponsors and
media back and forth to Durban, which is a 1¾-hour flight away, Port
Elizabeth, which is two hours away, and Johannesburg, which is close
by. “We charter flights for the team and staff,” says Wirthmann, “and
select four- or five-star hotels from the list provided by FIFA. We arrive
a day before the match and leave immediately afterwards to get back
to the base camp. It means we can travel light and there are less
requirements of the hotels than we demand of the base camp.”
Wirthmann says that there are in the region of 150 media people
to look after and that for obvious reasons they need to be located as
near as possible to Germany’s base camp as well. “This is where HRG
South Africa stepped in,” he says. Kathy Harris, MD of HRG South
Africa, takes up the story: “We worked very closely with Wolfgang on
areas such as transportation and getting people from A to B. We also
worked closely with the DFB, providing a bespoke meet-and-greet
service for them, and became directly involved with other crucial
ground services such as handling luggage and equipment, passports
etc. We support Wolfgang in many respects. HRG South Africa is a
major force in the region with significant depth of experience and
resources locally.”
STUWDAMDORP/ALAMY
FIFA WORLD CUP
“HRG South Africa is a
major force in the region
with significant depth
of experience and
resources locally”
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WWW.HRGWORLDWIDE.COM
“HRG needs to ensure
that, outside of the
matches, activities for all
the involved groups are
planned and executed
with precision”
MICHAEL BLANN/GETTYIMAGES
AWIE BADENHORST/ALAMY
THE SOCCER STADIUM IN GREEN
POINT, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA,
ONE OF THE HOST STADIUMS FOR THE
FIFA SOCCER WORLD CUP IN 2010
WWW.HRGWORLDWIDE.COM
Security issues have been at the top of the media’s attention
since South Africa won the right to host the World Cup. Although
responsibility for security rests with FIFA and the local authorities,
Wirthmann says that he can be “very sure” that security around the
team, staff and others will be “100 per cent”. Added to this, the DFB
has an official security person there and the team itself has two of its
own security guards present. No third parties can gain access to the
floor where the team is staying in the overnight stops before matches.
Meanwhile, families and guests all stay in international hotels and
these hotels guarantee appropriate security. “We give a great deal of
information to our guests before they leave Germany – brochures,
dossiers and so forth on what to do and see as well as tips about
security and local etiquette.”
Wolfgang Wirthmann points out that although June and July is
the height of summer for many countries, it is actually winter in
South Africa. “We need to be aware of this. It can be problematic in
the Cape region.” Clement weather or not, HRG needs to ensure that,
outside of the matches, activities for all the involved groups, such as
sightseeing trips, cultural tours, music concerts and of course safaris,
are planned and executed with precision. There are often long gaps
between matches when other diversions need to be factored in. Kathy
Harris is also assisting Wirthmann in this area. “There are lots of
activities we help plan and organise. Game experiences, visits to
Soweto, the Apartheid Museum, lots of farming communities –
everything from a de luxe experience to a budget visit.”
Wirthmann adds: “There is always some stress and tension before
and during such a big event. You have to concentrate to ensure that
everything runs smoothly. You need good partners – airlines, car hire,
hotels, etc.” Harris agrees. And to further ensure all visitors are
properly looked after in an emergency, a dedicated call centre has been
set up to provide solutions for all manner of potential problems quickly
and efficiently.
Whether Germany falls at the first hurdle or is striding on to
the final as you read this, they will have had the added comfort of
knowing that HRG has provided impeccable support throughout. ■
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