The Future Champions Gauteng Cup

Johannesburg, Thursday, 27th February Â2014 – ÂThe draw for the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng Cup that will crown the best Under-17 side in the Province has been made for the tournament that will be played on Saturday, 1st of March at the Eldorado Park Ext 6 Soccer Fields (08h30 kick off).

The tournament, organised in conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial Government, City of Johannesburg and SAFA Gauteng, will offer more than a coveted trophy though, as the four semi-finalists of the competition will also advance to play in the prestigious 2014 Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament that takes place from 24 to 29 March.

The junior sides of Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows, Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits, University of Pretoria, Jomo Cosmos and Mpumalanga Black Aces, whose academy is based in Johannesburg, will all take part.

They will be joined by teams from the SAFA regions in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Sedibeng and West Rand, as well teams who qualified through the Gauteng Schools Cup, the Sports School of Excellence, Sunward Park High, Johannesburg Secondary and IR Lesolang High.

The field of 16 sides have been 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.

Group A features Mpumalanga Black Aces, Johannesburg Secondary, SAFA Johannesburg and SuperSport United.

There will be a Soweto Derby in Group B that contains Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows, as well as SAFA Sedibeng and Sunward Park High.

Group C looks as though it will be tight with Bidvest Wits, Jomo Cosmos, IR Lesolang High and SAFA West Rand taking part, while Group D has a real Tshwane feel to it with Mamelodi Sundowns, University of Pretoria and SAFA Tshwane doing battle alongside the Sports School of Excellence.

“The Future Champions Gauteng Cup has become one of the highlights of the junior football calendar in Gauteng and we are delighted to be hosting the tournament again this year. The fact that it brings together academies, SAFA teams and schools all into one tournament makes it unique and a great gauge for where we are as a province with our football,†says SAFA Gauteng President Anthony Reeves.

The City of Johannesburg will be conducting several roadshows in Eldorado Park to highlight the event on Thursday (27 February). These will take place at Spar Shopping Centre in Witterburg Street (12h00-12h30), Hyper Save Shopping Centre in Turf Road (12h45-13h10), Shoprite Shopping Centre in Circle Road (13h20-13h35) and Crystal Mall in Cavendish Street (13h50-14h05).

Spectators who attend the Future Champions Gauteng Cup on Saturday will be in for a treat as exciting giveaways will be happening throughout the day, such as double tickets to the prestige international friendly that will be played between South Africa and Brazil at the FNB Stadium on Wednesday, March 5, courtesy of the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation.

The action kicks off at 08h30.

  • 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