Future Coaches

Future Coaches has broadened the scope of football development through an extensive coaching and skills programme. Hundreds of aspiring coaches have had the opportunity of participating in the programme, which includes an intensive Coaching Clinic held during the week of the International Tournament.

Coaching Clinic

Facilitated by renowned professional coaches, the Future Champions Coaching Clinic exposes aspiring coaches to cutting edge expertise and skills training. Sessions cover a wide range of key topics – from nutrition and training to the psychological development of young players.

Participants are motivated and guided by mentors such as Geoff Thompson MBE, founder of the Youth Charter for Sport. The Coaching Clinic provides a spark of inspiration for future coaches, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to work in the sphere of youth football and impart their newfound skills to others, widening the impact of the programme.

Ambassadors

Each year, aspiring coaches from the programme are selected as Future Coaches Ambassadors, accompanying the young Future Players finalists on their overseas experience. Upon returning home, they become ambassadors for the programme and are imbued with the responsibility of elevating their work in youth development. Many of the selected ambassadors have gone on to lead successful careers in youth coaching and development.

  • 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