The Gauteng Future Players Talent Search Finals

The final of the 2016 Future Players Gauteng Talent Search programme will take place on Saturday, 23 July at the Union Stadium in Newlands, Johannesburg and all media are invited to see the best young talent from the Province in action.

The best 100 players from around Gauteng will get a final shot at showcasing their skills and possibly earn a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Spain, courtesy of the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Spanish LaLiga.

The players were identified by the Future Players Gauteng Talent Search that crossed the province earlier this year as part of the build-up to the 2016 Future Champions Gauteng International tournament in March.

The top 100 will be put through their paces, starting from 09h00, with a set of skills tests before the field is narrowed down to the final group.

The best three girls and/or boys will be selected and earn their place to Spain in October this year, where they will visit academies and spend time with top coaches at some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Previous winners of the Future Players Gauteng Talent Search have had their dreams fulfilled with trips to Brazil and England.

One of those previous winners, Banyana Banyana star Refiloe Jane, was on Thursday announced in the national squad to take part in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a sign that the leap from the Future Players Gauteng Talent Search to the world stage can be bridged!

  • 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