Player Development Pathway
Earn B-BBEE points for your business by sponsoring a child through our school and academy.
Your businesses or organisation has the opportunity to sponsor a child’s education bursary and enrol them into our life-changing skills development programme where they will receive high level schooling and football development in our world class academy. Your generous donation can be aligned with your company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, while also contributing to your B-BBEE scorecard and SED points. By sponsoring a child through our academy, you are actively playing a part in their development not only on the football field, but in all areas necessary to them achieving a meaningful and successful life.
Player Sponsorship for B-BBEE Points
Use this form to find out more about sponsoring a player through our academy in exchange for B-BBEE points for your businesses.
Player Development Pathway Brochure
The Dream Factory
The Dream Factory is our Head Quarters and the base of all of our operations. It houses 16 of our Elite Men’s team players and an additional 45 FTIFA Cape Town academy players. It provides office space to over 50 full time employees, and includes a canteen where all of our players receive nutritious meals prepared for them on-site. There are classrooms, an audio visual room, a gym, a five-a-side court and a commons room that includes a TV, Pool Table and other activities.
The aim of The Dream Factory is to provide a safe environment to our many beneficiaries where they can relax, feel supported and work hard towards achieving their goals, both on and off the football field.
During their time at The Dream Factory, our youth players will be able to count on mental and emotional support from our experienced care-givers and house parents. These players will also have access to numerous mentors helping them to achieve their dreams both on and off the pitch. They will truly be in an environment that enables them to focus on what is important: developing their football ability, achieving academic success, and becoming a well-rounded, moral human being.
The story of our academy
Since 2014, we have been using football to unite, uplift, and bring pride through success. Now, we are beginning to develop world-class footballers capable of playing abroad and representing their national teams. Our mission is to create a constant flow of academy graduates who are capable of pursuing careers in professional football and can access pathways into clubs around the world. For us, success is being able to lift people out of poverty, to give them opportunities they may never have had, and to create a community of well rounded moral citizens giving back and continuing to build a better future together. Football is the tool we use to achieve these objectives.
From u12 to u18 age groups, our teams compete in the best youth league in the Western Cape, the Two Oceans, and have access to both HBUFC and FTIFA Fifa A-licensed coaching staff. As part of our football curriculum, our players are constantly scientifically benchmarked and assessed by the world renowned Sports Science Institute of South Africa, and their match data is analysed by our data partner, Talnets, a newly formed football data company from Switzerland
Through the implementation of frameworks such as our Long Term Athlete Development model and Individual Player Development Pathway, our players are in a holistic environment that takes into account their physical, mental and emotional well-being, enabling us to unlock their very best performance, while ensuring their development is well-rounded and balanced.
Our academy players have access to high school education facilitated by KOA Academy and our experienced on-site tutors. Players are provided nutritious meals, accommodation, training kit, access to facilities such as a gym, AV room, football fields, and physiotherapists. We also make sure they have access to one-on-one and position specific coaching facilitated by our Men’s team assistant coach, former PSL player, Nathan Paulse, and mental performance coaching facilitated by Jody Martins.
Most importantly, our players live in a beautiful environment at The Dream Factory. A warm loving home from home, with beautiful views of Table mountain and the Oranjekloof Nature Reserve. The Dream factory is a space that allows our players the time to reflect, focus and feel a sense of belonging. They can be their best version of themselves.
Player Development Process
Partnership with English Football League club Fleetwood Town
In 2022, we partnered with English EFL club, Fleetwood Town FC. The Fleetwood Football Group consists of another two teams, Fleetwood United in the UAE First Division, and Waterford in the League of Ireland Premier Division. These clubs provide pathway opportunities to our players who can go on to chase football careers abroad.
Fleetwood Town FC have a rich history of developing players who have gone on to play at the highest level. Premier League winner Jamie Vardy is a product of their development, as well as a number of current Premier League players.
As part of our belonging to the Fleetwood Football Group, we have access to professionals in all areas of the game, including sports lawyers and agents who help facilitate the whole process of a player’s journey to playing professional football within the group.
Former HBUFC player Durin Phillips winning 2023/24 UAEFA Division 2 Player of the season award with Fleetwood United in Dubai
Skills Development and Education Programmes
When a child joins The Dream Factory’s skills development programme, they become part of a nurturing family that champions their dreams. Through our close-knit community, they find friends, mentors, and role models who are invested in their success. Our comprehensive skills development and education programme includes:
A newly renovated residence awaits, offering a comfortable home away from home. We provide three nutritious meals a day, ensuring their physical well-being.
We offer schooling through an online high school, coupled with in-person tutoring to ensure academic success.
Every child deserves guidance.
Our mentors provide unwavering support, helping them navigate challenges and discover their strengths.
We believe in nurturing the whole person. Through workshops and activities, we foster personal growth, confidence, and character development.
From training to matches, our athletes are equipped with quality gear that instils a sense of pride and belonging.
Access to a football-specific gym empowers them to enhance their physical capabilities
Success starts in the mind. Our mental performance coaching equips them with the tools to overcome obstacles and thrive under pressure.
Physiotherapy and basic medical care ensure their physical well-being, keeping them at their best on and off the field.
We’re dedicated to progress.
Our continuous assessment ensures tailored support, adapting to their evolving needs.
We believe in accountability.
Through an administration and reporting service, sponsors witness the transformative impact of their support.
Guided by skilled facilitators across various domains, we invest in our champions, empowering them with the tools needed to thrive in the modern world.
About our skills development and education programme
Through the beautiful game of football, we instil values that go far beyond the field. Our education programmes focus on both skills development and social support. With expert coaching, mentorship, and character-building activities, we guide our students towards becoming confident, resilient, and well-rounded individuals.
When a child joins our skills development programme, they become part of a nurturing family that champions their dreams. Through our close-knit community, they find friends, mentors, and role models who are invested in their success.
Our comprehensive skills development and education programme includes:
Accommodation
Education
Mentoring and social support
Personal Growth and Development
Training, casual and match kit
Gym access
Mental Performance coaching
Healthcare support
Physiotherapy
Monitoring and evaluation
The Football landscape in South Africa
We have the opportunity to develop the abundance of natural sporting talent in South Africa. As a sport obsessed nation, we know that in terms of world glory and success, football is not our game…yet! The sad reality is that this is due largely to the effects of Apartheid. During this time, rugby and cricket were the team-sports that were heavily invested in, while football was the game for the largely non-white and socioeconomically less stable members of our country. As a result, football infrastructure in schools and clubs was, and still is, nowhere near as advanced when compared to these other sports. It is however still reported that football is the most played and loved game in SA, indicating that it is not a lack of talent or ability, but rather a lack of proper opportunity that is resulting in our nation’s overall lack of footballing success.
South Africa has a large population of close to 60 million people. We have a proven track record of producing some of the finest athletes in the world. Four rugby world cup titles, a prestigious cricket team, and swimming, tennis, netball, hockey, and athletics programmes that rival some of the best in the world. If only young footballers were afforded the same opportunities as our country’s other sportsmen and women.
Player Development Pathway timeframe
For the HBUFC Player Development Pathway to have the greatest effect, ideally players need to start with us as early as possible, and stay on the programme for the full duration. This means that for the best results, your organisation’s investment would ideally support a player(s) through this programme for multiple years, until they graduate and progress onto either a professional football, tertiary education, or vocational pathways.
The benefits of BEE donations to charities
Corporate Social Responsibility
Demonstrating your commitment to societal change, your BEE donations play a pivotal role in shaping a more equitable and empowered South Africa.
BEE Points
These donations translate into valuable BEE points, allowing your organisation to strengthen its position in the economic landscape while driving tangible change.
Growing Together
Just as a seed grows into a mighty tree, your BEE funding has the power to nurture growth, transformation, and prosperity within communities that need it the most.
