Orlando Pirates FC to represent South Africa at the 2011 Future Champions Belo Horizonte in Brazil

Johannesburg, Thursday, 1st December 2011 – Orlando Pirates FC will represent South Africa at the 2011 Future Champions tournament to be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil from December 12-17.

The Under 17 competition, which originated in Gauteng, will feature some of the top clubs from around the world in the likes of Manchester United (England), Juventus (Italy), Club Tijuana (Mexico), Colo Colo (Chile), Nacional (Uruguay), Vissel Kobe (Japan) as well as 2009 Future Champions Gauteng winners Boca Juniors, from Argentina.

Pirates will compete in Group B along with Tijuana and Cruzerio EC (Brazil), while Group A contains Atletico Mineiro (Brazil), Juventus and Boca Juniors. Group C pits Corinthians, Manchester United and Colo Colo together, while in Group D, CR Flamengo (Brazil), Nacional and Vissel Kobe go head-to-head. The top team in each pool advances to the semi-finals, with the remainder of the tournament played in a knockout format.

The young Buccaneers earned their place at the 12-team tournament by claiming the highest position finish by a South African team at the 2011 Future Champions Gauteng, beating fellow countrymen Bidvest Wits in March this year.
The Future Champions project is not only a football tournament, it’s an important social and educational project, integrating players and coaches from all over the world and giving an opportunity for youngsters to enjoy an international experience.

The tournament has also been crucial in developing stronger ties between Gauteng and Belo Horizonte, which is a host city for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

  • 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