The Future Players Gauteng Talent Search winners head to Spain

Gauteng Future Players Off to SpainThe winners of the 2016 Future Players Gauteng Talent Search are set to head off for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Spain next month where they will be guests of LaLiga.

Philani Kunene, Prince Moeketsi and Charlton Jade qualified from 100 finalists out of the thousands who showcased their skills across the Province earlier this year.

The trio will be accompanied by Christa Flora Kgamphe who was chosen from the Future Coaches programme, as they take in the sights and sounds of one of the top European footballing nations.
The Future Champions group arrives in Madrid on October 1, before taking a high speed train to Valencia, where they will take in a LaLiga match between the home side and Atletico Madrid on October 2.

That same day they will also attend beach soccer training, one of the fastest growing football disciplines.

The group will also attend a training session at LaLiga side Villarreal, before returning to Madrid for a tour of the fabled Bernabeu stadium that is home to Real Madrid.

The players and coach will then have the chance to attend a training session of Atletico Madrid, where they can view some of the top names in world football being led by Coach Diego Simeone.
The group will arrive home on October 9, having also enjoyed a number of sight-seeing tours away from football and a visit to the South African embassy.

‘We wish the Future Champions Gauteng party all the best and we hope this will be a great education for them in many aspects of life and not just football. We look forward to hearing all about their experiences when they return’ said Phil Mogodi, Chairman of the Soweto Football Association.

  • We had a wonderful football and cultural experience in Gauteng. The tournament and activities were very well organized and we found everyone involved extremely helpful and accommodating. We have all returned home with fantastic memories of our time in South Africa, both on and off the pitch, and have made many new friends as a result of the trip. I hope that we are invited to participate in future tournaments.

    Everton Academy Head Coach

  • The experience both on and off the field for our players during the Future Champions tournament in Gauteng was life-enriching for all those who participated. We were privileged enough to win this edition but what will be bringing us back in future is the cross-cultural education our players receive from spending time with athletes from all over the world. They are human beings before they are football players and enriching them with other cultures is as rewarding as the experience they receive on the field.

    Club Tijuana Director of Football

  • After twenty years of experiencing tournaments around the globe, Future Champions is hands down the best organized, well run International Tournament we have ever participated in. Bringing teams from dozens of different countries provided our boys exposure to cultural diversity they only read about in textbooks. It’s amazing how sport can be the cultural link that provides the opportunity to interact with each other and discover that our global community is a bit smaller than they realized. We had a football and cultural experience that will be cherished for the rest of our lives.

    Director of USYSA Select

  • For us to compete in Future Champions is much more than playing a series of matches. It is an opportunity to compete and contrast our level against the best teams from around the world and the possibility of living in another culture and environment for an unforgettable week, learning about the history of the fight for human rights.

    Director of Aspire Academy

  • The addition of a girls’ competition this year is a natural expansion for what has become a hugely popular event. Over and above the football, the players are also exposed to life-skills courses and HIV/AIDS awareness that could end up saving their lives in the future. We have had an amazing partnership with the Gauteng Province over the last decade and we thank each and every stakeholder for making the Future Champions Gauteng campaign such a huge success

    Tournament director