News and views from Future Champions

Latest news

Black Cats pass on skills

Despite their main sponsor, Bidvest, and other partners like South African Airways (SAA) and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund coming from this country, Sunderland won’t have a South African player in their ranks any time soon. The English outfit held…Read more

Sunderland’s U16s held to draw

Youngsters play second group game in South Africa. Sunderland’s U16s were held to a goalless draw on the second day of the Future Champions tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa. The young Black Cats took on Indian side Royal Wahingdoh, dominating…Read more

Youngsters defeated in tournament opener

Latest from the Future Champions Cup tournament. Sunderland’s U16s played well in a narrow defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the opening game of their Future Champions Cup campaign in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday evening. An end-to-end game produced a…Read more

Poor start for Cosmos

JOMO Cosmos got their 2014 Future Champions Gauteng International Cup off to a poor start, losing 0-1 to Congo Brazzaville’s CESD La Djiri in Soweto yesterday. Striker Lionel Ondongo Opera scored the only goal of the opening game at Nike…Read more

Plucky SuperSport swept aside

IT WAS the game many people were waiting for yesterday SuperSport United against Brazil’s Atletico Mineiro on the opening day of the under-17 Gauteng Future Champions International Tournament in Soweto. The action on the pitch certainly delivered up to its…Read more

Dickman on Future Champions trip

Head of coaching looks ahead to Africa visit. Sunderland’s academy head of coaching, Elliott Dickman, says the club’s young players are relishing the chance to take part in the prestigious Future Champions tournament. The Black Cats’ U16 squad will fly…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