South Africa is a nation of ardent soccer fans who flock to stadiums every weekend, come rain or shine. And, with Banyana Banyana’s recent phenomenal success, the sport’s appeal just keeps on growing.
For 28 years, Kick Off magazine has brought news from the local scene and Premier Soccer League. This September, the final print issue hits the shelves.
Launched in 1994, popular demand saw the magazine move from publishing monthly to fortnightly in September 1996, followed by the launch of the website in 1999.
A decade later, Kick Off was one of the official partners of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Now, following a challenging decade for print, topped by the Covid-19 pandemic which saw local football postponed for almost six months, Media24 have made the difficult decision to close the magazine and focus exclusively on growing the digital version.
“While we close the chapter on our print publication, our digital platform will remain and our journalists around the country will keep you up to date with the latest breaking news, transfer stories and match reports,” says Kick Off editor, Zola Doda.
Kick Off general manager Clint Roper said, “It’s obviously hugely disappointing to say goodbye to Kick Off as a print offering, but the potential for the brand to really explode digitally is exciting. With this year’s World Cup around the corner, we hope to see a surge in online advertising around our incredible content and will endeavour to keep Kick Off at the front of the pack when it comes to soccer news in South Africa. We thank our readers and advertisers who have remained loyal to the magazine. We hope you all follow us to the digital world of Kick Off.”
