The Future Champions Gauteng Cup

Johannesburg, Saturday, 22nd February Â2014 – The 2014 Future Champions Gauteng Cup will decide the best Under-17 side in the province as top academies, SAFA development teams and schools clash for the coveted trophy.

The prestigious event will be held on Saturday, 1st March at the Eldorado Park Ex 6 Soccer Fields with the action set to start at 08h30.

It is a fascinating mix of styles and contrasts in football philosophy as eight academies drawn from professional clubs in the province will be entered along with four sides from the South African Football Association’s structures.

The final four teams will be the semi-finalists from the recent Future Champions Schools Cup that was held earlier this month in the form of the Sports School of Excellence, Sunward Park High, Johannesburg Secondary and IR Lesolang High.

The field of 16 sides will be split into four groups of four sides, who will play each other in a round-robin format. The four teams who top the pools will advance to the semi-finals and at the same time qualify for the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament.

“The Future Champions Gauteng Cup has become an institution in our province and an eagerly-anticipated tournament where we can see the best of our young talent all in one place. The standard has risen over the last few years and I cannot wait to see the exciting football these youngsters will put on show. We pride ourselves on our football heritage in Gauteng and as the biggest producer of professional footballers in South Africa. Gauteng is in many ways the heart-beat of football in this country and this Gauteng Cup will give us a glimpse of the stars of tomorrow,†said the Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile.

The City of Johannesburg is a key partner of the Future Champions Gauteng Cup and will be lending their support again in 2014.

“We encourage all of our young people to use the wonderful facilities that we have in the City of Johannesburg to lead a healthy lifestyle that involves sport. The Gauteng Cup does not just bring together the best of the young talent in the province, but showcases their athletic ability and their determination to better their lives through sport,†Mr Mandla Mdlalose, acting Director Sport and Recreation says.

  • 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