U17s in Gauteng Future Champions Tournament

Posted on 26 March 2012 – 12:22 Orlando Pirates Under17 team will begin their journey towards winning the GAUTENG Future Champions tournament when they take on New England Revolution from the USA at the Nike Centre in Soweto at 15h00 this afternoon. The boys from Mayfair have been roped in Group B alongside Nania from Ghana as well as Uruguay?s renowned football Club, Nacional. Mandla Qoqhi?s charges will look to improve on their performance last year where they finished seventh in the International finals held in Belo Horizonte Brazil. ?As a club we always want to go overseas and give our players that unique experience of playing football at the highest level (in the U17 category),? said Qoghi. ?We went to Manchester for a couple of years in the MUPC, and last year we did well by going all the way to the final. We are focussing on qualifying first which is not going to be easy but we have faith that our boys will do well.? Meanwhile, former Bafana Bafana and Manchester United player Quinton Fortune (the event Ambassador) wished Orlando Pirates the best of luck in the tournament. ?This is a great chance for the kids to do well and possibly have the opportunity to go play abroad? this is an exciting tournament and I certainly hope Pirates does well and some of these kids get the chance of winning professional contracts with top teams around the world,? said Fortune. Back

  • 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