Soccer Laduma enters esports arena

Launched in 1997, Soccer Laduma holds the title of the highest selling sports publication in the country with a weekly circulation of 92,238 (ABC Q1 2021). Its commitment to providing its readers with breaking news, interviews and analysis of local and international football complemented by user-generated content, has taken it from print across web, mobile and social media platforms.

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The statistics are impressive, with a total of 1.44 million unique browsers and 25.3 million page impressions across mobile and desktop (Narrative April 2021). Soccer Laduma’s website is ranked the 5th biggest website in South Africa, based on Pageviews in April 2021.

Soccer Laduma has a strong social media following, reaching 517,611 Instagram and 905,133 Twitter followers as well as 2,770,154 Facebook fans. Soccer Laduma produces five podcast shows a week.

Esport experiences positive pandemic disruption

Globally, lockdown accelerated consumers’ use of digital media. In particular, the gaming and esports sector saw significant growth as consumers sought to combat boredom and escape the pressures of the pandemic world. Newzoo’s Global Esports and Live Streaming Market Report 2021 predicts that esports revenue will be up by 14.5% this year.

In an earlier report on the South African market, Newzoo reported that a “striking 76%” of the urban online population who watched professional sports, watched soccer, “making it the country’s most watched sport by a significant margin.”

The new home of efootball in South Africa

It is, therefore, perfect timing for the brand to launch the first Soccer Laduma League, powered by PUMA, with the support of Mettlestate and Gaming Ventures, who are esports and gaming content specialists. With the objective of growing awareness as well as accessibility to large-scale esports events, Soccer Laduma’s vision is to create a hub for players of all skill levels, not just top tier competitive players. Any player is eligible to enter, which is likely to enhance spectator value as there is the exciting opportunity for new local talent to emerge.

There will be three groups: Amateur, Premier and Legends League, with separate group stages running over the season. The Grand Finals will be live-streamed to Mettlestate’s Twitch TV at the end of July 2021.

“We’re incredibly excited to be launching the Soccer Laduma League and to have the guiding expertise of Mettlestate & Gaming Ventures handholding us in our foray into the world of gaming. We share their vision of having this league becoming the league of choice for players of all skill sets across South Africa. With PUMA coming on board to power the initiative, we have no doubt that together we will be creating a world class product that will service the South African gaming community’s growing passion for esport,” said Clint Roper, Soccer Laduma GM.

Opportunities to engage with a desirable market

Whilst this league is exclusive to PUMA, it is a clear demonstration of how Soccer Laduma is open to engagement with brands and keen to explore exciting opportunities that will engage its devoted soccer fans.

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Current Soccer Laduma gaming site users are predominantly male (92%), reside in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (92%) and 25-44 (63%) making them an attractive segment of the market. The brand is exploring further gamification opportunities.

With such a strong presence across platforms Soccer Laduma is well poised to work with brands to co-create relevant bespoke content. Podcasts, video content and bespoke microsites driven by exclusive content are just some possibilities.

With a track record of keeping ahead of the curve and delivering to South African soccer fans over the decades, Soccer Laduma brings unique insight and knowledge of its audience to the field. These enable Soccer Laduma to create multiple touch point communication solutions for clients to reach its engaged audience. Now is the time for interested brands to tell Ads24 Media Solutions and Soccer Laduma their stories to start meaningful dialogues and co-create effective communication solutions.