Alex footballers in Gauteng Future Cup competition
JOBURG - A team comprising footballers from Alexandra and other townships will be among the best football teams in the Province that will gather for the 2015 Future Champions Gauteng Cup.
A team comprising footballers from Alexandra and other townships, Shumba FC will be among the best football teams in the province that will gather for the 2015 Future Champions Gauteng Cup.
The tournament will be played at the Isak Steyl Stadium at the Vaal University of Technology on 1 March, with a significant carrot being dangled for the eventual semi-finalists. The 16 teams, drawn from schools, professional clubs and academies, will hope to be in the final four and qualify for the prestigious Future Champions Gauteng International tournament which will feature some of the best U17 sides in the world. The tournament will be played in Soweto from 23 to 28 March.
The Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Molebatsi Bopape, said the Future Champions programme had done much in recent years to raise the standard of junior football in Gauteng.
Johannesburg Secondary School, Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sport School, Lawley Secondary and the Sports School of Excellence have all booked their place in the Gauteng Cup and are now one step away from representing South Africa at the international tournament.
They will be joined by the U17 teams of professional outfits Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits, Jomo Cosmos, Moroka Swallows, University of Pretoria, Mpumalanga Black Aces, and the defending champions SuperSport Tottenham Hotspur Academy.
The final three competing teams are academies in the province, namely Shumba FC, Sandton-based FTF FC and Midas FC of the University of Johannesburg. Shumba FC is an exciting project that brings in youngsters from areas such as Alexandra, Bryanston, Cosmo City, Diepsloot, Olivenhoudt, Sandton, Thembisa and Soshanguve, and uses football as a tool to mentor and nurture players.
“We are delighted to have such a strong field for this year and the addition of the academy teams is a welcome one,” said Ray Whelan, tournament director of the Future Champions Gauteng project.
“Every year the quality of the entrants in the Gauteng Cup gets better and that means we can look forward to another high-level, exciting Gauteng Cup competition.”
