23 Sept 2022 — By almost any measure SAFA’s National Registration System (NRS), MYSAFA, has been an unqualified success. Because SAFA embraced electronic player registration early on with the launch of MYSAFA in 2017, about 2% of all FIFA IDs issued worldwide now come from South Africa. That’s nearly 600k registered players – by far the most of any African MA.

MYSAFA FIFA IDs

Still, many myths about MYSAFA persist. Let’s debunk a few…

1 – MYSAFA is not integrated with FIFA – FALSE
MYSAFA is fully integrated with the FIFA Connect ID service, allowing MYSAFA to assign FIFA IDs to all compliant players and clubs. Since this integration was completed in 2018, 2500 MYSAFA users from every corner of SA have registered and assigned FIFA IDs to nearly 600K players and 14K clubs.

2 – Other South African player registration systems are integrated with FIFA Connect – FALSE
MYSAFA is the only FIFA-integrated registration system in SA. FIFA have made clear their preference to integrate with one NRS per FIFA MA. While FIFA IDs can be assigned to South African players by other means when they transfer abroad, MYSAFA is the only means of registering and assigning a FIFA ID to a player in South Africa, including PSL.

3 – MYSAFA doesn’t allow SAFA to print its own cards – FALSE
Admins can print MYSAFA ID cards free of charge, directly to their own desktop card printer. Many SAFA structures such as the Football Association of Pretoria (FAP), Eldorados LFA, SAFA eThekwini and SAFA KZN print PVC player cards directly from MYSAFA whenever they choose, for no additional charge. Inqaku has offered financing to SAFA structures to assist them to purchase card machines. (Note: centralised card printing is still offered in MYSAFA)

4 – MYSAFA replaces club affiliate dues or player registration fees normally collected by the LFA or region – FALSE
MYSAFA’s registration “admin” fees do not replace those of the SAFA LFA, region or province. SAFA structures still set and collect league entry and affiliation dues at their own discretion, independent of MYSAFA. MYSAFA registration admin fees are necessary to pay for the ongoing support, development & hosting of the software, as well as transaction fees for the RSA Home Affairs verification service. MYSAFA’s club-self registration features were added to enable SAFA’s structures to register more players, support more leagues and increase revenues for SAFA’s structures and clubs.

5 – FIFA offers a free system that SAFA can use – TRUE, but…
The FIFA Connect Platform – a software offered by FIFA to its member associations (MAs) to help them comply with FIFA’s regulations on electronic player registration – is similar to MYSAFA in many ways, however, straight out the box, the FIFA Connect Platform lacks a dedicated support team, Home Affairs integration, payment gateway, and other essential MYSAFA-supported services and features. MYSAFA’s software and support team are specifically designed to support the unique needs of SAFA and its structures while keeping SAFA compliant with FIFA’s electronic player registration rules and supporting itself financially.

6 – Inqaku is “taking money out of football”, or hiding money from SAFA – FALSE
Inqaku has provided the MYSAFA player registration & competition management systems — as well as safa.net — free of charge to SAFA, since 2019
. Inqaku must therefore generate self-supporting revenue from stakeholders (i.e. SAFA structures, clubs, players, coaches, and parents) to support the ongoing development and operations of the MYSAFA platform. Once Inqaku covers its operating costs, Inqaku and SAFA will split profit 50-50. Operating costs include Inqaku’s 10-person software development and support team, hosting, infrastructure and travel — all borne by Inqaku.  (Inqaku provides audited financials to SAFA on an annual basis to remove any doubt.) Despite Inqaku’s best and ongoing efforts to offer additional paid goods and services (e.g. Inqaku funeral cover) the only significant revenue generated continues to come from registration “admin” fees. Here the math tells the whole story: MYSAFA registers approximately 350K players per annum. Our registration fees range from R5 (juniors) to R22 (senior regional & provincial leagues), collecting an average of approximately R12 per registration. 

Send any other questions, comments, or concerns about MYSAFA to Jason Anderson, Inqaku COO (jason@inqaku.com).