The 2014 Future Players Gauteng Talent Search Programme takes over Ekurhuleni

Johannesburg, Thursday, 6th February Â2014 – The battle for places in the semi-finals of the 2014 Future Players Gauteng Talent Search is heating up as boys and girls from around the Province continue to impress the coaches in their regional skill test programmes.

Around 900 learners were put through their paces at the most recent event held at the Isak Steyl Stadium in Vereeniging, with most coming from Sedibeng and the surrounding areas.

A total of 15 coaches put the young, aspiring footballers through a set of skills tests designed to bring out the potential in them and perhaps catapult them on to a career as a professional footballer.

Perhaps the most notable graduate of the Future Players Talent Search is 2009 winner and Banyana Banyana star, Refiloe Jane, who was on hand to motivate new hopefuls on the day.

The trials were run at the same time as the exciting Future Champions Gauteng Schools Cup, where the top school teams in the Province battled it out for honours.

The Sports School of Excellence came out victorious after a 2-0 victory over Sunward Park High in the final. The two finalists, along with Johannesburg Secondary and IR Lesolang High, all booked their place in the Future Champions Gauteng Cup competition where they will take on teams from the academies of the professional clubs as well as the SAFA development teams in Gauteng.

The next set of trials for the 2014 Future Players Talent Search will be held at the Sports School of Excellence for learners in the Ekurhuleni North region on Saturday, 8th February, and will be another step closer to finding the top three football talents in the Gauteng Province for 2014.

Aside from the football there was also an important social responsibility aspect and all learners were given a presentation by LoveLife, South Africa’s largest national AIDS prevention, education and behavior initiative for young people, as well as the Grassroot Soccer who were both present on the day.

Organisers of the 2014 Future Players Talent Search hope that once again this year they will see over 10 000 learners be assessed by expert coaches to determine if they have the potential to make a professional career out of football.

The Future Players initiative, run in conjunction with the Gauteng Provincial Government, led by the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, is open to youngsters aged 13 to 16, who are assessed by the coaches over a number of disciplines.

The best youngsters from the 15 districts in Gauteng will be chosen for the finals to be staged at the Nike Football Training Centre in Pimville on March 29, 2014.

  • 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