Kids To Play With Mooki

THE Easter tournament to honour Thabo Mooki – former Amakhosi midfield genius – will start on Good Friday. The age groups are u14 and u17. Organiser Mike Malatji said the tournament will have 16 teams in each category. Malatji said: “The tournament has been held for the past couple of years as the Mike Stars tournament. “But this year we decided to name it after Mooki, who has been in youth development for a number of years,” he said. Malatji said Moroka Swallows’ and Kaizer Chiefs’ juniors will take part in the tournament. The Junior Chiefs finished bottom of group B in the Future Champions regional playoffs. They scored just one goal and conceded seven. The organiser said: “Mooki will play in one of the matches for the Moletsane u17 team and in another match he will feature in the Kaizer Chiefs ul7s. “We have invited other Kaizer Chiefs legends such as Lucas Radebe and Doctor Khumalo. “Teams with former players from Moroka Swallows and Chiefs will play in a curtain-raiser to the final on Easter Monday. “We believe that these former soccer greats will give the youngsters a lot of motivation,” he told SunSoweto. Malatji said there will be no round robin stage and the tournament will kick off with a knockout format. The venue has two soccer grounds, so the the four-day tournament will have an average of four matches a day in both categories. Malatji said the winners will receive trophies, medals and kit, and there will be little or no prize money. “TotalSport will sponsor the kit. “And we’re hoping that Kaizer Chiefs will also put something into what will now be an annual tournament,” said Malatji Former Chiefs midfielder Thabo Mooki will play in the tournament. Photo by Gallo Images VODACOM NIKE

  • 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