Talent search

Future Players

Future Players promotes the empowerment of youth by instilling confidence and self-esteem as well as enhancing the benefits of education, mentorship and sports. It has reached over 75,000 teenage boys and girls since its inception.

Talent Search

Consisting of a rigorous series of proven empirical tests, the Future Players Talent Search identifies and nurtures undiscovered raw talent.

The finalists receive wide media exposure as well as an international football experience, with previous winners having travelled to England and Brazil. Their inspirational journey provides them with unique life skills, broadening their horizons and paving the way towards their roles as future leaders, innovators and professional players.

Life Skills Programme

The Future Players life skills programme motivates youth to lead a positive, proactive and healthy lifestyle. Targeting those in underprivileged areas, it uplifts communities where events of this nature are rarely found.

The programme encompasses a comprehensive curriculum that provides youth with the tools to make more informed choices. In South Africa, it seeks to address and dismantle stigmas around HIV/Aids, educating participants about the disease through the language of football.

Ambassadors

Each year of the Future Players programme has produced quality players, with many of the participants forging successful careers in a professional arena.

In its first year, the programme paved the way for a young girl from Orange Farm, Gauteng – who outshone thousands of her male peers – to become one of South Africa’s top professional players. Refiloe Jane had the opportunity of training with Everton and Manchester City women’s youth teams, returning with newfound confidence and maturity that allowed her to pursue a remarkable career in football. She now plays for the national women’s team and has been selected to represent South Africa at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

  • 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