News and views from Future Champions

Latest news

Gauteng schools in cup shootout

THE provincial departments of sport and education in Gauteng have joined forces to demonstrate their support for the revival and intensification of school sport programmes. MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation Lebogang Maile and his education counterpart Barbara Creecy…Read more

The inaugural Future Champions Schools Cup

Johannesburg, Friday, 9 March 2012 – The inaugural Future Champions Schools Cup will be staged on Saturday, March 10, with 16 of the top teams from around the province competing for two places in the prestigious 2012 Future Champions Gauteng…Read more

2012 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament

Johannesburg, Thursday, 8 March 2012 – Gauteng Provincial Government will once again welcome clubs from all over the world when they descend on Mzansi to participate in the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng, one of the most prestigious Under-17 tournaments on…Read more

Mkhonza quietly prepares for Olympics

GAUTENG MEC for sport, arts, culture and recreation Lebogang Maile has described the inclusion of Refiloe Jane in the Banyana Banyana squad as a major boost for the department’s development. Jane is the winner of the 2009 Future Players Identification…Read more

2011 U17 Future Champions Belo Horizonte Final Day

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Sunday, 18th December 2011 – Orlando Pirates FC grabbed the seventh place position after their defeat of Italian giants Juventus on the final day of the Future Champions Belo Horizonte in Brazil yesterday, Saturday, 17th December. The…Read more

2011 U17 Future Champions Belo Horizonte Day 04

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, 17th December 2011 – It will be an all Brazilian affair at the final of the 2011 Future Champions Belo Horizonte after defending champions Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro EC won their respective semi-final matches yesterday (Friday,…Read more

  • 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