South Africa hosts a wide array of sporting events, ranging from local community competitions to internationally televised tournaments, with the sector generating significant economic activity. With a growing emphasis on accountability and value for money, government bodies, event organisers, and sponsors increasingly seek to understand how these events contribute to regional economies.
The need for a reliable economic impact measurement tool has become more important than ever. To address this need, SACO has developed the South African Sport Impact Calculator (SASIC). Like its predecessor, the South African Festival Economic Impact Calculator (SAFEIC), which was specifically designed for cultural festivals and events, this new tool provides a rigorous yet accessible framework for estimating economic impact. However, the South African Sport Impact Calculator or SASIC for short, has been carefully adapted to reflect the distinctive characteristics of the sports sector.
Although inspired by the SAFEIC, this tool has been specifically tailored to account for differences in visitor profiles, spending patterns, and multiplier values of sporting event supporters. The calculator offers a practical means of estimating the short-term economic contributions of sporting events in South Africa. The data required to use the calculator assists to explain how to categorise visitors and spending and describe how multipliers convert direct expenditure into broader economic effects.
The SASIC estimates the direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts generated when visitors and organisers spend money within a host economy. The tool operates on a clear principle of economic impact studies, and attempts to answer the question, "If the event had not taken place, what would the loss of economic activity to the impact area have been?”. This approach ensures that the calculator focuses on new money brought into the host economy rather than spending that would likely have occurred regardless of the event.
The tool builds on the success of SAFEIC, which has been used for several years to influence funding decisions by identifying key investment opportunities and financial challenges. SACO has conducted SAFEIC workshops and training sessions across the country, equipping stakeholders with economic impact assessment tools, ensuring the calculators findings are effectively translated into actionable insights for policymakers, artists, and funders. SACO has also produced a guide on how to use the calculator which can be found on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVB9myGDWXM
As SACO continues to fulfil its mandate to research and measure South Africa's cultural, creative, and sports industries, the South African Sport Impact Calculator represents an important step forward in providing stakeholders with the tools they need to make evidence-based decisions. The sports sector contributes significantly to the economy, and this tool enables its value to be properly measured, communicated, and leveraged for future growth.
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