The fourth leg of the 2011 Gauteng Future Champions Talent Search Programme heads for Daveyton

Johannesburg, Thursday, 24th February 2011 – The hunt for hidden gems continues as the 2011 Gauteng Future Champions Talent Search programme moves on to the Marivhate Sport Complex, Daveyton this Saturday where the best of Ekurhuleni North and Johannesburg East will be on show.

The Talent Search, which is being run in conjunction with the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation and the Gauteng Department of Education, is in its third year and has already hosted successful events in 2011 at Moletsane, Ennerdale and Kwa Thema, where more than 2 000 learners have put their talent to the test.

The victor from the first year in 2009, Refiloe Jane, won a dream trip to Manchester, England, organised by international sports firm Global Sports International, where she trained with some of the best young players in the Under-17 age-group from around the world.

Her career has really taken off since then and she is now a member of one of the top teams in the country, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. She says she owes a debt of gratitude to the Gauteng Future Champions Talent Search for giving her the exposure to progress to a professional level.

  • 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