85 Cape Town Young Footballers Get Taste Of German Coaching As NexGen Builds Pathway To 2027 Tour

Eighty-five young Cape Town footballers were given the opportunity to experience international-level coaching this week when Nexgen Football School hosted a free two-day football clinic with German Bundesliga club 1. FSV Mainz 05.

Held on 19 and 20 October, the clinic brought young players from U10 through to U18 together for two days of training and development led by Simon Hasler of 1. FSV Mainz 05, alongside the Nexgen coaching team.

The free clinic was designed to expose local players to different coaching methods and the standards and expectations of professional European football, while giving coaches an opportunity to exchange knowledge and approaches to player development.

Justin Tantaal, Founder and Owner of Nexgen Football School, said the turnout reinforced the need to create more opportunities for young South African players to access international-level development.

“Hosting 85 players over the two days was incredible, but for us the biggest success was seeing these young players being exposed to a different level and style of coaching. Many talented young footballers may never get the opportunity to experience an international football environment, so if we can bring some of that experience to them here in Cape Town, it can open their eyes to what is possible and what is required to reach that next level,” said Tantaal.

For Nexgen Football School, the initiative forms part of a much bigger ambition: creating tangible international pathways for talented young South African footballers.

From left: Jody Samuels; Justin Tantaal, Founder and Owner of Nexgen Football School; Simon Hasler of 1. FSV Mainz 05; Robert Daniels; and Joseph Tantaal during Nexgen Football School’s two-day international coaching and player development clinic in Cape Town.

The school is now working towards taking a group of players to Germany in 2027, where they will have the opportunity to experience German football culture and test themselves in an international environment.

“This is about more than a two-day clinic. We want to build a genuine pathway for our players. The next step is Germany in 2027, where we want them to experience that environment first-hand, compete against strong opposition and come back better players because of it,” added Tantaal.

Founded in Cape Town in 2014 under the motto “Where Talent is Nurtured,” Nexgen Football School focuses on developing young players through professional coaching while creating opportunities and pathways beyond the local game.

The successful clinic also provided an opportunity for local and international coaches to share ideas and best practices, strengthening Nexgen’s broader focus on both player and coach development.

Founded in 2014, Nexgen Football School is a Cape Town-based youth development school with the motto “Where Talent is Nurtured.” The school is committed to developing young footballers through professional coaching and creating pathways to international opportunities.