The 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup Day 01

Johannesburg, Saturday, 17 March 2012 – The opening day of the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng Cup was staged at the University of Pretoria’s LC de Villiers Sport Grounds on Saturday with some thrilling football played by the 16 competing teams.

Group A saw Jomo Cosmos top after the first day as they defeated Future Champions Schools Cup runners-up Rosina Sedibane High School 2-0, before they drew 0-0 with fellow Premier Soccer League club Supersport United. Orlando Pirates FC defeated Supersport 1-0, but will play their second match against Rosina Sedibane High School on Sunday after the game was postponed.

Should they win that it will be a straight shoot-out between them and Cosmos for a place in the semi-finals.

Group B was dominated on the first day by Bidvest Wits, who defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 4-2 and Kaizer Chiefs 3-0. Moroka Swallows also beat Chiefs (3-0) and drew with Sundowns (2-2), meaning they will face a straight shoot-out with Wits on Sunday for a place in the semi-finals.

The SAFA/Transnet School of Excellence took control of Group C with two wins over SAFA Ekurhuleni (1-0) and SAFA Johannesburg (3-2) to claim six points. They just need a draw in their final match on Sunday against SAFA Motsweding to ensure their patch into the semi-finals.

SAFA Tshwane are also in pole position in Group D with two wins from two games as they defeated SAFA West Rand (5-1) and SAFA Sedibeng (3-2). They will meet Mohloli High School on Sunday to decide the pool, but will need just a point to advance.

The tournament is for teams in the Under-17 age-group, with the prize for the top sides from each group being a place in the prestigious 2012 Future Champions Gauteng international event alongside the likes of Atletico Mineiro from Brazil and PSV Eindhoven from the Netherlands.

The Future Champions Gauteng Cup is in its fourth year, with Moroka Swallows having won the inaugural event in 2009, Supersport United taking the honours in 2010, while Bidvest Wits were the best performing team last year.

Other supporters of the Future Champions Gauteng Cup were Pick ‘n Pay, who provided food and drink for all the participating teams on the day.

GROUP A
Results
Jomo Cosmos 2 Rosina Sedibane 0
Orlando Pirates 1 Supersport United 0
Supersport United 0 Jomo Cosmos 0

Fixtures – Sunday
08h00 Rosina Sedibane vs Orlando Pirates
09h00 Supersport United vs Rosina Sedibane
10h20 Orlando Pirates vs Jomo Cosmos

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
Jomo Cosmos 2 1 1 0 2 0 4
Orlando Pirates 1 1 0 0 1 0 3
SuperSport United 2 0 1 1 0 1 1
Rosina Sedibane 1 0 0 1 9 2 0

GROUP B
Results
Bidvest Wits 4 Mamelodi Sundowns 2
Moroka Swallows 2 Kaizer Chiefs 0
Bidvest Wits 3 Kaizer Chiefs 0
Mamelodi Sundowns 2 Moroka Swallows 2

Fixtures – Sunday
09h00 Kaizer Chiefs vs Mamelodi Sundowns
10h20 Moroka Swallows vs Bidvest Wits

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
Bidvest Wits 2 2 0 0 7 2 6
Moroka Swallows 2 1 1 0 4 2 4
Mamelodi Sundowns 2 0 1 1 4 6 1
Kaizer Chiefs 2 0 0 2 0 5 0

GROUP C
Results
SAFA Johannesburg 3 SAFA Motsweding 3
School of Excellence 1 SAFA Ekurhuleni 0
School of Excellence 3 SAFA Johannesburg 2
SAFA Motsweding 1 SAFA Ekurhuleni 2

Fixtures – Sunday
09h00 SAFA School of Excellence vs SAFA Motsweding
10h20 SAFA Ekurhuleni vs SAFA Johannesburg

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
School of Excellence 2 2 0 0 4 2 6
SAFA Ekurhuleni 2 1 0 1 2 2 3
SAFA Johannesburg 2 0 1 1 5 6 1
SAFA Motsweding 2 0 1 1 4 5 1

GROUP D
Results
SAFA West Rand 1 SAFA Tshwane 5
SAFA Sedibeng 1 Mohloli High School 1
Mohloli High School 5 SAFA West Rand 1
SAFA Tshwane 3 SAFA Sedibeng 2

Fixtures – Sunday
09h00 Mohloli High School vs SAFA Tshwane
10h20 SAFA Sedibeng vs SAFA West Rand

TEAMS P W D L GF GA PTS
SAFA Tshwane 2 2 0 0 8 3 6
Mohloli High School 2 1 1 0 6 2 4
SAFA Sedibeng 2 0 0 1 3 4 1
SAFA West Rand 2 0 0 2 2 10 0

SEMI-FINALS
13h00 Winner Group A vs Winner Group B
13h00 Winner Group C vs Winner Group D

FINAL
15h30 Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2

  • 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