By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: FC Augsburg.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Bundesliga have joined forces to launch Bundesliga Dream South Africa, a landmark development program designed to nurture and elevate elite youth talent from South Africa.
Bundesliga Dream South Africa saw the national Under-16 team participate in high-performance training camps hosted by two of Germany’s top clubs, providing the country’s best players with access to world-class academy facilities to help the younger members of the squad prepare for the upcoming FIFA Under-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan.
The fortnight-long program hosted by FC Augsburg, then Arminia Bielefeld included advanced technical training sessions, competitive friendly matches, and cultural exchange experiences aimed at developing sporting excellence and personal growth.
The inaugural edition of the Bundesliga Dream South Africa is a cornerstone project of the strategic long-term Memorandum of Understanding signed by the SAFA and the Bundesliga earlier this year.
The collaboration between the SAFA and the Bundesliga is anchored around local football development and further focuses on commercial strategy and sponsorship, fan engagement and brand development, media training, and technical expertise for on- and off-field topics.
After landing in Germany, the South African squad trained at and played friendlies against the academy of FC Augsburg and witnessed the hosts’ first-team hold FC Bayern München to a draw, which saw the fastest goal in Bundesliga history.
Off the field highlights included deep personal exchanges and insights from Augsburg professional players Chrislain Matsima and Juma Bah, as well as Academy player Milo Adleff, who is on the brink of making the Bundesliga squad.
The youngsters from South Africa then spent the second week hosted by Arminia Bielefeld, where South African legends Delron Buckley, Sibusiso Zuma and Rowen Fernandez made decisive steps for their international careers.
“This initiative represents a significant step forward in our commitment to youth development, “said Molefi Ntseki, Technical Director of the SAFA. “By partnering with one of the world’s leading football leagues, we are creating meaningful international pathways for our players to grow, compete, and succeed on a global stage.”
This is the first time the Bundesliga Dream project has been launched in Africa after previous editions have already been established in countries across Asia.
“Bringing Bundesliga Dream to Africa for the first time is an important step in our long-term partnership with South African football,” said Peer Naubert, Chief Commercial Officer of Bundesliga Media.
“Together with SAFA and our clubs, we want to give young players valuable international experience, while building closer connections between football in South Africa and Germany. This programme is a tangible example of how we are developing our presence in Africa – through football development, local partnerships and stronger engagement with fans.”
Meanwhile the SAFA NEC elected Anastasia Tsichlas, Linda Zwane and Tankiso Modipa as the Vice Presidents to serve for the next four years.
SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan explained the process that guided the election of the three Vice President.
“The meeting addressed various issues. First, we had to deal with the question of the Vice Presidents we have here at the front table. Now, you know that in the elections at SAFA, you only elect national list members, they are national executive members, and out of those members you then elect the three Vice Presidents arising out of that pool of administrators,” the SAFA President said.
Jordaan said the Members also appointed several committees, including Technical, Finance, Schools and Competitions among others. Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Doctor Khumalo has been appointed as vice chairman of the SAFA Technical Committee.