The South African Rugby Union, led by Jurie Roux, SAFA, led by Robin Petersen, and Cricket SA, led by Jacques Faul, have each signed up as founding supporters of the inaugural Sport Industry Summit. They will lead the debate on the state of sport in the country, share best practice and expand their industry involvement at the most influential business gathering in the history of sport in South Africa.

Roux, Petersen and Faul will each speak on the opening panel, covering issues as diverse as governance and ethics, commercial performance, development, and elite performance. The panel will also mark a major first for sport in this country, as these CEOs take the stage together bringing their unique perspective to the wider industry.

SARU CEO, Jurie Roux, said: “These are exciting times for rugby: on the pitch we have a new captain, a new coach, and a new competition in the form of the Rugby Championship while off-the-field we have a significant number of new initiatives and commercial ventures in production. We are always seeking to innovate and exchange ideas with our colleagues from other sports, even though we are always mindful of our traditions. That is why the Sport Industry Summit is such an exciting development for the South African sports business.”

In the aftermath of a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, SAFA is moving on to the hosting of next year’s AFCON competition and finds itself taking on a leading role within the wider industry. SAFA CEO Robin Petersen said: “The 2010 FIFA World Cup showed the importance of international influence on the development of South African football. This Sport Industry Summit is exciting, not just as an opportunity to share and learn from our colleagues in South Africa, but from the international experts who will attend and bring their experience from around the globe.”

Jacques Faul, who as Acting CEO of Cricket SA has led the organisation’s resurgence following a challenging period in recent months, added: “From Allan Donald to Jacques Kallis to Dale Steyn, Cricket SA has consistently developed world class talent and we believe we have a lot to share in terms of our development programmes, as well as commercial success. As an organisation, we have worked hard to overcome some very public challenges in the past 12 months, and the inaugural Sport Industry Summit coincides with a fresh start for the Cricket SA brand. It will give us the opportunity to share some of the lessons we have learned and our vision for the future of sport in this country.”

The official partners of the inaugural event have also been announced. Deloitte will host the one-day Sport Industry Summit at its Johannesburg offices; Virgin Atlantic will be the official carriers and will help the Sport Industry Group to bring international experts from around the world to the event to deliver international insight and share global trends; and BMi Sports Info will provide industry leading statistics and research that will be the foundation of conversations and discussions throughout the event.

For more information or to book your place at the Sport Industry Summit at a special early-bird rate, visit www.sportindustry.co.za, or contact Cristina Magni on 011 612 3025 or cristina@benchmarksport.com.