Trevor Phillips’s return as CEO of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) was seen by some as the second coming of the messiah, but the man himself believes he alone cannot propel the league to greatness.
Sitting amid the chaos of an office still being refurbished at the PSL’s headquarters in Doornfontein this week, Phillips said: “I did not come to change anything. I came back to run the league smoothly with the help of the seven-member committee to be appointed by the board of governors.”
Phillips inherits a setup on the brink of bankruptcy, beset by disciplinary cases that drag on too long, fixture congestion and poor crowd attendance at games. His task is to get the league working professionally.
The man who was the first CEO of the PSL when it began in 1996, is not enjoying his first week back at the helm. “This is a boring week as I have to do paperwork. I want to get on with the business of running football.”
After a firm handshake and a smile that shows wrinkles around his eyes, he sits down at the conference table with a glass of water next to him and begins to talk about what he wants to do with the PSL.
The reason Phillips came back is that “I looked at the PSL as my baby, felt that it was in trouble and I could do something to help it back on its feet again. When I was in the country last time I developed an affection for South Africa and its soccer.”
He says money was not the motivating factor behind his return, and he insisted before taking up the appointment that he be given the authority to do the job properly.
The 60-year-old Briton smiles as he talks about his return to soccer. “I was happy with my job in England as chairman of horse racing tracks, negotiating media rights for horse races, but it was not stimulating enough.”
He was happy when he was approached by the three-member South Africa committee, but his family thought he was mad to accept. “This is not the easiest job in the world. Being CEO of the PSL means taking a lot of responsibility,” says Phillips.
He now has to use his negotiation and communication skills to restore confidence in the league. This involves recognising that the league exists because of its players, sponsors and fans — not as a private club for team owners.
The new chief executive does not talk about long- or short-term solutions, but about building soccer into a business and ensuring that the league’s communication structures are viable. “I want to develop sponsors and contracts so as to make them much more valuable and make the league professional,” he says.
Phillips sees soccer as a powerful tool that is undervalued in this country. His immediate priority is to get a financial manager.
South African soccer is already starting to feel the effects of the English bulldog’s determination. At the PSL’s annual general meeting last weekend, several important decisions were taken to lead the league in the right direction. Firstly, the previously all-powerful board of governors — which will now include first division chairpersons — will meet just twice a year instead of monthly.
There will be a seven-member executive management committee — chosen by the board of governors — responsible for the day-to-day running of the league. It will also be able to take important decisions.
This will then give the league a structure that will allow Phillips to take business decisions without having to go through the board.
The AGM also passed a new rule — already criticised by Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba — that clubs have to release players for national duty only if the game falls on dates approved by world governing body Fifa. If the match is only a friendly, the clubs will have to continue with their league or cup fixture programme, even if they have more than three players on national duty.
The new rule might force the South African Football Association (Safa) to coordinate its calendar to Fifa’s or face fielding under-strength sides as clubs refuse to release players.
Phillips congratulates the league on cutting back to 16 teams, saying he failed to do this during his first term of office. “A 16-team PSL will help to improve the quality of football; there will be less travelling expenses for the clubs and the players will be able to produce their best on the field of play with less games to play.”
He says the new league cup competition will be run along the lines of the now-defunct Bob Save Super Bowl. “The problem about this cup tournament is that it has no name. The SABC bought the rights to this cup so it should be called the SABC Cup — or, if they get a sponsor, the sponsor’s name should be used.”
Details of the new competiton are a little sketchy at present. The total prize money and whether the winners will gain entry to one of the continental competitions are still to be sorted out. Phillips says Safa is looking to run its own cup along the lines of the FA Cup in England.
The new CEO sees the PSL role as providing support to clubs, which need to market and present themselves professionally. He feels there’s a lack of awareness in South African soccer about what sponsorship is and how to attract it.
“In me the players will not find an adversary, as it is the players that make the business of soccer that I now have to run. If people are to come back to stadiums the league should provide them with a better product.”