A lack of quality is but one of the reasons given for the appalling attendances at the majority of PSL matches, along with high tickets prices, too much soccer on television and poor marketing.
De Villiers, barely four months into the job, says they are actively trying to get to the root of the problems and bring some corrective measures in place, though he points out the main onus lies with the clubs.
“There are so many opinions [on why people aren’t coming to the stadiums]. We will start by conducting some proper research and see,” he says.
“The main responsibilities of getting spectators into the stadiums still lie with the clubs; they need to market and get their communities to support them.
“We have put processes in place to communicate better around fixtures, where tickets can be bought, etc. Those kind of things we are doing, but there are no real answers yet on the 20 or 30 reasons people are giving.”
However, De Villiers doesn’t subscribe to the notion that the quality is lacking in South African soccer.
“I don’t know necessarily whether quality is good or bad, but I have attended a lot of games over the last few weeks and I’ve seen 7-1, I’ve seen 4-0 … I’ve seen very exciting football.
“When I started a lot of people said the League is not exciting and there are not enough goals, but I think in each of the competitions so far we have exceeded last year’s goals. So yes, I find it exciting, but maybe it’s just because I’m new!”