Four boys and four girls from the North West Province are off for a once-in-a-lifetime, life-changing tour to Madrid, Spain, for specialist LaLiga training.
LaLiga is the professional association football league in Spain and recently they conducted the recent Next Gen Draft tournament in Rustenburg. The eight star performers, aged between 13-14 years old, were chosen to travel to Spain where they will join juniors from other countries for training camps under the tutelage of world-famous LaLiga instructors.
The boys are Masilo Goitseone, Malatsi Orateng, Tebogo Montshing and Olerato Ramafi. The girls are Boitshepo Mfaladi, Kgatliso Raseloma, Mamonyana Mpondo and Dineo Potso). The final selection was based on their sporting performance and their ability to display and embody key values such as commitment, solidarity and effort.
The tournament was held at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus in Rustenburg. It formed part of the EA Sports FC Futures grassroots social impact programme. It was created in collaboration with UEFA grassroots experts.
The tournament aims to discover and develop young football talent around the world, and foster community engagement through the values of football.
“Every player begins their football journey in a grassroots environment, and investing in this is what EA Sports FC Futures is all about,” said James Salmon, Senior Director, Franchise Activation, at EA Sports FC.
“The football family is an important community, with the power to positively benefit society and change lives for the better. We are incredibly proud to be partnering with LaLiga again, here in South Africa. We will continue to forge the connection between FC interactive experiences and active play, to inspire greater participation in sport, and help discover the stars of the next generation.”
Emile Smith, Managing Director of Royal Bafokeng Sports, said: “For Royal Bafokeng Sports it’s a privilege to have partners of the stature of LaLiga and EA Sports with a desire to make a really meaningful contribution to the development of sport through grassroots.
“Through Next Gen Draft we can give back to the community and South Africa at large through the medium of sports, providing opportunities for boys and girls to succeed.”
Later this month, these tournaments will also be staged in the USA, UAE, Guatemala and Vietnam.
