By Desi Tzoneva

Let’s Go 2010, Avusa's new 2010 FIFA World Cup football pull-out, will be one of the shortest-lived, yet effective newspaper supplements in the history of South African newspapers, says Avusa Group Editorial Consultant, Peter Atkinson. This is because the last edition of the supplement will appear at the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Launched in December on the weekend of the World Cup draw in Cape Town, Atkinson says the motivation behind the new 12-page, full-colour supplement was to offer the most comprehensive coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the reader. After looking at the coverage of the Confederations Cup, Atkinson said he realised that individual local newspapers didn’t have the necessary resources to offer the best coverage of the world’s biggest soccer event. While the Confederations Cup involved just eight teams, the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s 32 teams would require more significant coverage; planning; and financial resources.

“We wanted to give our readers the best and most comprehensive coverage and to create a unique, quality football paper the likes of which South African readers have not enjoyed before,” says Atkinson, a veteran of 10 previous World Cups with the Daily Mirror in the UK. This is why the new supplement will appear free of charge in Avusa titles such as the Sunday Times; Sunday World; Sowetan; The Times; Daily Dispatch; and Herald.

This is a new initiative where a group title has been produced. The 32 teams will play 64 matches in 31 days at 10 venues, and a World Cup team of Avusa writers will cover every game. Stationed at all the venues, they will preview each match; provide full coverage; and do a follow up. The writers; photographers; sub-editors; and designers have been assembled from all Avusa titles and altogether, 36 issues will be published, to reach an estimated readership of 8.5-million a week. Atkinson said: "The supplement, which will cover every kick and every controversy, all the highs and lows of the tournament, will be edited on a day to day basis by well respected veteran sports journalist, Archie Henderson, who is presently Sports Editor of The Times."

Atkinson added that the supplement will appear once a month from now until 16 May. Thereafter, once a week, and on 11 June for the duration of the World Cup, the supplement will appear every day apart from Saturdays.

The print supplement is just one of the soccer-related offerings. Atkinson says that a brand-new Go2010 website is being created, which will carry all the up-to-date World Cup news, and a mobile phone offering is also underway. Initially introduced in the UK and Europe four years ago, this offering he says, will help those interested in the game, who are unable to watch a match on television, stay in touch and receive minute-by-minute match reports.

“Another of our plans is to offer the supplement to every English speaking country throughout Africa,” Atkinson says. "Operating on the same basis as in South Africa, the supplement could be inserted in English newspapers published all over the continent. In this way, the reach could extend to over 100-million people a week, he added.