The inaugural Future Champions Schools Cup

Johannesburg, Friday, 9 March 2012 – The inaugural Future Champions Schools Cup will be staged on Saturday, March 10, with 16 of the top teams from around the province competing for two places in the prestigious 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup later this month.

The competition, run in conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial Government, will be held at the Hillview High School in Pretoria and will feature 16 school teams selected by the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA).

The teams will be split into four groups of four teams, with each side playing three games in a round-robin format. The top sides in each pool will then advance to the semi-finals, prior to a third/fourth-place play-off and a deciding final will be played.

Those top two placed sides will take on PSL’s best in the hope of securing a spot in the annual international showpiece.
Among the schools to participate in tomorrow’s event are Rosina Sedibane Sports School in Laudium, Mohloli High School from Sharpeville, Buhlebemfundo Secondary School in Tsakane, Lamula-Jubilee High in Meadowlands, Chipa-Tabane Secondary in Cullinan, SG Mafaesa in Kagiso, Thomas Mofolo Secondary in Soweto, Ngaka Maseko High School in Mabopane, Tsolo Secondary School in Vanderbijlpark, Liberty High School from Johannesburg South.

Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy says for the learners to be involved in such a competition is about giving them an opportunity to not only showcase their talent, but enjoy competing against their peers.

“The Future Champions Gauteng Schools Cup is a wonderful initiative that brings learners from all over the province together to compete for a single goal. Sport is incredibly important in the development of youngsters in helping to keep them physically fit, but also teach lessons about teamwork and working together to achieve success. I would like to wish all 16 teams competing this year the very best of luck,†MEC Creecy says.

Her thoughts were echoed by the Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mr Lebogang Maile.
“It is important that we uplift schools sport in the province as this is where much of our grassroots talent can be found. If we can improve the level of competition in our schools then I have no doubt that we will see even more excellent young sportsmen and sportswomen being nurtured in future years. The Future Champions Gauteng Schools Cup can be the start of this and we look forward to seeing what stars of tomorrow come out of this weekend’s event.â€

  • 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