The 2011 Future Champions Talent Search programme nears its end

Forever Marketing – Maggie Sekoto

Johannesburg, Saturday, 19th March 2011 –

The 2011 Future Champions Gauteng Talent Search is nearing its end with the final stop of the roadshow this weekend before the hopefuls from all around the Province are called to the Final.

Almost 1 000 learners were put through their paces at the last stop, the Soshanguve Block X Sport Complex, taking the total number of participants so far to the 6 000-mark.

There will be one more opportunity for budding footballers to impress the coaches at the Central Sport Grounds on Sunday, where learners from the Tshwane South and Gauteng North areas take part.

And once that leg has been completed, the best of all eight stops on the 2011 Future Champions Gauteng Talent Search will gather at Highveld College at Nasrec for the semi-finals that take place on Monday, Human Rights Day.

Aside from the football training and the coaching, each learner who participates in the Talent Search also undergoes a life skills programme. It is a 45-minute curriculum course, which taps the power and popularity of football to break stigmas, dramatically increase awareness and change behaviours to combat HIV/Aids.

Other supporters of the Talent Search are Pick ‘n Pay, who provide food and drink for all the participating learners on each day, and sportswear giant Nike, who provide the footballing gear for the coaches.

The finals of the Talent Search will be held during the 2011 Future Champions Gauteng tournament that will be held from March 28 to April 2, where the top three young individuals will be chosen. The winners will embark on a trip of a lifetime overseas, where they will visit and train at a top international club.

The Talent Search, now in its third year, saw 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