The Ekurhuleni South and Johannesburg Central regions welcome the Future Players Gauteng Talent Search Programme

Johannesburg, Thursday, 20th February 2014 – The 2014 Future Champions Gauteng Talent Search programme will go into overdrive this weekend with two sets of skill tests taking place on Saturday and Sunday (22nd and 23rd February 2014).

The quest to find the best junior male and female footballers in the Province is well under way and so far thousands of young hopefuls have been put through their paces by the expert coaches.

This will take a big step forward in the coming days with two further events set for the Ekurhuleni South and Johannesburg Central regions.

The 2009 winner of the initiative, Banyana Banyana star Refiloe Jane, is living proof of the way the Future Champions Gauteng Talent Search can set young players on the path to stardom.

Having played for the national team at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Jane is now an ambassador for the programme and is eager to see others follow in her footsteps.

“Winning the Future Champions Gauteng Talent Identification Programme really kick-started my career and gave me so much confidence to believe that I can play for a top local side and even internationally. I hope I can be an inspiration to other girls and guys that you can achieve your dreams with hard work,†said Jane.

The Ekurhuleni South skill tests will be held on Saturday (22nd February) at the Huntersfield Sports Grounds, while Progress Primary School will play host to the event for learners in the Johannesburg Central and surrounding areas on Sunday (23rd February).

It follows another successful event held at the Randfontein English Primary School this past Saturday when 320 learners from various schools in Gauteng West and the surrounding areas got to showcase their football talent.

Aside from the football there was also an important social responsibility aspect and all learners were given a presentation by either LoveLife, South Africa’s largest national AIDS prevention, education and behavior initiative for young people, and Grassroot Soccer who were both present on the day.

Organisers of the 2014 Future Players Talent Search hope that once again this year they will see over 10 000 learners from around the Gauteng Province be assessed by expert coaches to determine if they have the potential to make a professional career out of football.

The Future Players initiative, run in conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial Government, led by the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, is open to youngsters aged 13 to 16.

  • 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