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From 2010 to Today – South Africa’s Champions Keep Inspiring
The 2010 Nation of Champions Movement
Fifteen years ago, South Africa united the world under one unforgettable banner - The Nation of Champions.
It was more than a slogan. It was a movement that captured who we are at our best: resilient, creative, and united in purpose.
I had the privilege of helping shape that story during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when we showed the world that South Africa doesn’t just host great events - we inspire them.
The mission of the Nation of Champions Campaign was simple yet profound: to deliver President Mbeki's Brand Promise of "Hosting the Best World Cup Ever"
Not only did we beat the previous benchmarks and collectively earned the highest Net Promoter Score of all FIFA World Cups to date (92% NPS by the visitors), but we also delivered an Economic ROI that placed South Africa in the TOP10 Countries to visit:
- Project Management & Service Delivery 9/10 (FIFA)
- Major Infrastructure Upgrades (Airports, Roads, Hotels, Gautrain)
- Zero Major Crime in 31 Days (Visitors & Venues)
- Leisure Tourism up 31% year-on-year
- Business Tourism up 47% (City of Cape Town)
- Business Confidence highest since 1995 (RWC)
- 500,000 New Jobs Every Year 2004-2010 (3m+)
- Exchange Rate R7/$
Today, that same spirit is being reborn through a new national movement - the SA Champions Network™.
What Is the SA Champions™ Community?
The SA Champions™ Community brings together South Africa’s proven leaders and changemakers across business, sport, academia, media, science, and civil society.
Our goal is simple yet profound:
To celebrate excellence, connect influence, and co-create national solutions that build a better future and propel South Africa into the TOP10 Countries on the Global Prosperity Index (currently ranked 75th out of 167 countries).
This is not another leadership forum. It’s a movement of doers - people who are already shaping South Africa’s future and want to collaborate, mentor, and make a measurable impact.
The Future of Jobs Think Tank
At the heart of this network lies the Future of Jobs Think Tank - our flagship impact lab focused on job creation, skills development, and connecting the youth to global opportunities at scale.
This is where South Africa’s champions come together to design the future of jobs — through shared insights, cross-sector partnerships, and collective action.
Because job creation is not just an economic goal. It’s a national legacy project.
A Movement for Impact
Through the SA Champions™ Community, we will:
- Unite proven leaders to collaborate on job creation and nation-building.
- Showcase South Africa’s success stories to inspire others.
- Measure impact annually through the State of Jobs Report.
Join the Community
We’re inviting business leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, educators, and community builders to join us as Founding Members.
Let us build a South Africa where opportunity is the new currency of hope.
A 2010 Leadership Legacy Project
From the Nation of Champions to SA Champions
In the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa, we celebrated and elevated the Champions who made what many believed to be Mission Impossible happen: to deliver President Mbeki's Brand Promise of "Hosting the Best World Cup Ever" (which still stands to date).
From Hospitality to Construction and Education, we co-hosted the Business 2010 World Cup Show on CNBC Africa every week from July 2008 to August 2010, with Dr Nik being the resident analyst, unpacking the success stories of South Africa's 2010 Champions.
The SA Champions Collective picks up where the Nation of Champions Campaign left off - by enabling and celebrating the Hidden Champions of South Africa.
See the Nation of Champions Book on Amazon - Foreword written by the Minister of Sport and the SAFA President, the Nation of Champions Book details the 1,000 days' Road to 2010.
Says the author, Dr Nik: By converting 92% of Visitors to Brand Advocates and achieving a 95% Net Promoter Score from the International Media, South Africa officially hosted the most successful FIFA World Cup™ of all times and set new benchmarks within the Tetragon of Global Brand Leadership, as measured against the Perceptions of Visitors, Sponsors, the Media and the Host Nation."
Tracking the Progress of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ held in South Africa, Dr Nik shares
his most read analyses and commentary from the Business Day and CNBC Africa. This
compilation provides a 1,000-Day timeline of how both local and global events shaped
the Road to 2010 and why CNN called this the “most memorable World Cup of all
times”.
The author of “BrandOvation™: How Germany won the World Cup of Nation Branding”, and the sequel “The Hero's Journey: Building a Nation of World Champions”, Dr Nik holds a PhD from the Free University of Berlin and a Postgraduate Diploma from The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Dr Nik headed the Net Promoter Scorecard research project on South Africa's Destination Branding Success Story during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, and he is the co-author of the World Cup Brand Ambassador Program 'Welcome 2010' and chairperson of the inaugural 2010 FAN World Cup.
