Cape Town Soccer School of Excellence - South Africa

PR Log (Press Release) – May 27, 2009 – Cape United Soccer School of Excellence

Cape United Soccer School of Excellence is the first Soccer School of its kind, committed to:
* Sourcing the next generation of top African footballers.
* Developing both life skills and football ability.
* Ultimately, placing talent at professional clubs throughout the world.

Students are individually mentored by footballers from the English Premiership, who invest their own time in the students’ development.

Heading up the team of mentors is Ian Wright, MBE - former Arsenal and England International footballer.

Why Cape Town, South Africa?

Cape United Soccer School of Excellence benefits from an all-year round Mediterranean climate.
South Africa provides a low-cost base for business.
Cape Town is a host city of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
We have a good scouting network throughout the continent.
Football is ‘the sport of the townships’. Where there is poverty, there is huge talent. There are over 40 African internationals playing in the Premiership, most of whom have grown up in this way. Although South Africa is not known for its football talent, it has it in abundance, but it is wasted in township football.

Cape United Soccer School of Excellence differs greatly from the well-known systems of academies and youth teams. Its aim is not to win football matches; rather, to produce world-class talent.  We do not wish to hold onto our students to build a strong team, rather we are keen to progress them into professional football.  Cape United Soccer School of Excellence works in partnership with a management group who advise and look after those who are signed by professional clubs.

Our intended annual intake is thirty - forty boys, aged 15-17.  Over the past year, we have been scouting the Western Cape and are currently in the process of extending scouting contacts throughout the country and further a-field.  The school opened on April 3rd 2009 with eighteen local students, one student from Port Elizabeth and another from England. It is the first Soccer School developed by Africa Soccer Developments.

The Soccer School
The boys live at Struben House, looked after by an experienced houseparent family. Struben House has offices, a boardroom, classroom and education facilities, and accomodates 80 boys. There are also beds for visiting trialists if invited.

The security guarded premises also has a separate hall for fitness and education purposes. In-house education will maximise each boys’ individual potential, developing life and citizenship skills.

Training
The boys have physical and technical training thoughout their week, and use the facilities of Wynberg Military Base in Cape Town:

3 floodlit football pitches
Floodlit tennis courts
Swimming Pool
Large sports hall
Fitness Suites

The aim is to train to a standard that would enable the student to earn a living as a professional footballer in Europe. Those boys that don’t make the grade should be good enough to remain in Professional African Soccer. The school will operate over 51 weeks of the year and from 2010, will feature an annual European tour giving the boys valuable experience of European competition. The tour will also serve as a ‘shop window’ for European Clubs to view the schools students.

Education
We will be educating ‘in house’ with our own specifically developed curriculum.  Qualified staff will work with the boys on an individual basis. There will be opportunity to gain accreditations in some basic subjects, plus a qualification in BTEC Sport.  Particular emphasis will be placed on life and citizenship skills, equipping the boys for a potential future career in Europe.  Football remains the priority but through the education we aim to care for the whole person, extending boys’ overall achievements whilst at Cape United Soccer School of Excellence.

Funding
Funding for the Soccer School of Excellence has been raised almost entirely from current and ex-English Premier League players, one of them being our Ambassador Ian Wright MBE. All of them share a desire to give something back to the game by way of sponsoring boys for their two year stay at the school and giving the boys an opportunity of a lifetime. Each of these players will mentor the boys and will take an active role in their ongoing development. We are already planning to bring them all down to Cape Town at the end of the English Premier League season to help- with coaching and specific skills development.

For more information on funding and all commercial enquiries please contact Colin Gie, Director of Africa Soccer Developments
Web : www.AfricaSoccerDevelopments.com
Email: info@africasoccerdevelopments.com
Tel: 083 305 05 06(or if calling from outside of South Africa 0027 83 305 05 06)