The 2012 Future Players talent search programme kicks-off

Johannesburg, Friday, 2nd March 2012 – The search to unearth the budding football talent of tomorrow will get under way this weekend with the start of the 2012 Future Players Talent Search in the Gauteng region.

Thousands of young players aged 13 to 16 from across the province will be involved in the programme, and for some of them this could be their big break and the launch of a career as a professional footballer.

They will be looking to follow in the footsteps of the 2009 Talent Search winner, Refiloe Jane, who is now a key part of the Banyana Banyana set-up that is preparing for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

In conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Department of Education, organisers hope to have 10 000 young boys and girls participate in the structured talent identification programme this year, which not only gives them a chance to showcase their football ability, but also receive life-skills training from Grassroots Soccer.

The top three winners will receive a once in a lifetime opportunity to train with an overseas team and learn just what it takes to be a professional footballer for a top club.

“We want to identify young football talent in Gauteng through our structured and tested talent identification programme that gives opportunities for learning to thousands of players in the Under-17 age-group. We also want to use the programme to engage the youth in life-skills interventions, fostering their self-confidence and knowledge of pertinent health and social issues. And of course, this gives the local clubs and academies in the Gauteng province the opportunity to see what talent is out there and possibly even recruit some new players,” says Tournament Director, Mr Ray Whelan.

The programme gets under way on Sunday, 4 March, at the Hillview High School in the Tshwane CBD, starting from 09h00 and running to 15h00.

The programme moves south on March 11 to Soweto, with two venues in use – Nike Football Training Centre and the Ennerdale Sports Complex. Other venues on the same day are Huntersfield in Katlehong and the ERSA Sports Grounds in Benoni.

The final set of assessments will take place on March 17 at Cecil Old Ridge Park in Van Der Bijl Park and the HM Pitje Stadium in Mamelodi, before the semi-finals on March 24 at the Nike Football Training Centre.

Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mr Lebogang Maile, says there is plenty to admire in the young talent of the province, as proven by the previous years of the Future Players Talent Search.

“We have champion teams in Gauteng and most of their players have been born and raised in the province. We know that the talent is all around us, it is about identifying these young stars of tomorrow and helping them on the path to stardom. We hope that one day they will not only represent our province by playing for one of our major teams, but also South Africa with Bafana Bafana. I want to wish all participants in the 2012 Future Players Talent Search the best of luck, and for those who are not winners, I hope you enjoy the experience and learn new skills in both life and football,†Mr Maile says.

The 2012 Future Players Talent Search is now in its fourth year and forms part of the Future Champions Gauteng tournament that sees some of the best Under-17 club sides from around the world descend on the province for an international tournament. This year’s competition takes place between March 26-31 and will be held at the Nike Football Training Centre in Soweto.

  • 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