The Sports School of Excellence claim the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng Schools Cup title

Johannesburg, Saturday, 1st February Â2014 – The Sports School of Excellence were crowned champions of the 2014 Future Champions Gauteng Schools Cup after a 2-0 victory over Sunward Park High in the final at the Isak Steyl Stadium at the Vaal University of Technology on Saturday (1st February 2014).

A brace of goals from Edwin Sekhwama lifted the School of Excellence to the title as the top school team in the Province on what was a fantastic day of football.

The two finalists, along with Johannesburg Secondary and IR Lesolang High, all booked their place in the Future Champions Gauteng Cup competition to be played on 1st March where they will take on teams from the academies of the professional clubs in the province as well as the SAFA development teams.

The School of Excellence made up for the disappointment of losing in last year’s final when they were beaten by Johannesburg Secondary, who this year picked up the bronze medal after a 1-0 win over IR Lesolang High in the third-place play-off.

Fourteen schools from around the Gauteng province took part in the 2014 Schools Cup and were drawn into four groups, two of which had four sides and the other two three.

IR Lesolang High took top spot in the three-team Group A, set up by an opening 7-1 win over Chipa Tabane High as Ofentse Mogale struck a hat-trick.

That result saw them edge Mohloli High on goal-difference at the top of the table after those two sides drew 1-1 and Mohloli could only manage a 3-2 win over Chipa.

The School of Excellence breezed through Group B, winning all three matches, including a crushing 12 success over Meadowlands High. Edwin Sekhwama scored four in that game.

The biggest score of the day was also against the unfortunate Meadowlands, who were beaten 15-0 by Khanya Lesedi High. Tumelo Nkatha scored five goals, Bheki Nene four and Mxolisi Magagula three in a commanding performance that was still not enough to seal top spot in the pool.

Sunward Park won both their matches in the three-team Group C to top that pool and advance to the semi-finals, including a 3-0 victory over perennial challengers Rosina Sedibane High.

Johannesburg Secondary beat Tandi Sibeko High 1-0 in the decider for top-spot in Group D, the defending champions holding their nerve in what was a tightly-contested pool.

That set up a semi-finals for them against old adversary School of Excellence which was won by the latter 4-2 on penalties after the teams had been locked at 0-0.

The second semi-finals between Sunward Park and IR Lesolang High also finished goalless, with the Sunward side triumphing 3-0 in the shoot-out.

Johannesburg Secondary then defeated IR Lesolang High 1-0 to claim the bronze medal, before School of Excellence came out on top in the deciding match.

The U17 competition was run in conjunction with the Gauteng Department of Education and the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation with technical sponsor Sedgars Sport.

The four semi-finalists will now play in the Gauteng Cup competition, from where they will hope to qualify for the Future Champions Gauteng International tournament where they would play against some of the top Under-17 teams from around the world in late March.The four semi-finalists will now play in the Gauteng Cup competition, from where they will hope to qualify for the Future Champions Gauteng International tournament where they would play against some of the top Under-17 teams from around the world in late March.

GROUP A

IR Lesolang 7 (Xolani Manana 2, Ofentse Mogale 3, Cliffort Mwale, Given Makgato) Chipa 1 (Thulani Manyaka)

IR Lesolang 1 (Xolani Manana) Mohloli 1 (Tseoanelo Ntshelah)
Chipa 2 Mohloli 3

TEAM P W D L GF GA PTS
IR Lesolang High 2 1 1 8 1 1 1
Mohloli High 2 1 1 0 4 3 4
Chipa Tabane High 2 0 0 2 3 0 0

  • 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