Sunderland in Future Champs Cup

Sunderland AFC’s under-16 team will fly out to South Africa at the end of the month to compete in the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng Cup.

The Future Champions Gauteng Cup is regarded as one of the most competitive youth tournaments in the world, with 16 teams from across the globe competing to win the coveted trophy.

Sunderland AFC, who recently masterminded their way to a Wembley Cup final, will be hoping for similar success when the club’s under-16 team head to South Africa.

The young Black Cats, who train at Sunderland AFC’s state of the art training base, the Academy of Light, have been drawn in Group D and will pit their wits against Royal Wahingdoh FC from India, USYSA Select from USA and South African side Mamelodi Sundowns.

Ged McNameee, Academy Manager at Sunderland AFC, said: “This will be a fantastic experience for the boys to test themselves against some of the finest opposition from across the globe. We are looking to learn how teams in other parts of the world operate and their different styles of play. I am sure this will be a life-enriching experience for everyone at the club.â€

The club’s academy coaches will also be taking part in a ‘Coach the Coaches’ programme, where they will be highlighting how the Academy of Light operates, general best practice and sports science.

Ged continued: “The work they are doing to develop players and coaches is great and I am looking forward to contributing to the elevation of the standard of football in the country.â€

The Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament, organised by Global Sports International on behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government, led by the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, has grown into one of the top under-17 competitions on the global football calendar and is now in its sixth year.

This year’s tournament will take place from March 24-29 at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville, Soweto.

The field of 16 teams for this year’s event will consist of 12 international sides — Sunderland AFC, Ado Den Haag, Atletico Mineiro, Aspire Academy, Braazaville Academy, Club Tijuana, K Stars, Royal Wahingdoh FC, Saki West, Shandong Luneng, Toronto FC and USYSA Select) — and four teams from South Africa (Jomo Cosmos, SuperSports, Sunward Park and Mamelodi Sundowns).

  • 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