Table View Football Club heads to US for prestigious Dallas Cup
Table View FC is heading to the United States to make their fourth appearance at the Dallas Cup, one of the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the world.
The club will be sending two teams to compete at U15 and U17 age groups. Teams confirmed for 2025 include the likes of Newcastle United from the UK, Real Madrid from Spain, Botofoga and Sao Paulo from Brazil and Eintracht Frankfurt from Germany.
The tournament is known as one of the toughest in the world as participating American teams are the cream of the crop, with only top division teams who have won their respective leagues being able to apply to participate in the tournament.
Craig Barrows, one of the organisers from Table View said: “Our teams are competing against some of the very best academies in the world. This also includes only the very best teams in the US and the level of competition is exceptionally high.”
Barrows said that in the past two years, their U18 and U13 teams won their respective groups and qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament. “This was a massive achievement for us as a club and a team representing South Africa and we are looking to build on this success with the 2025 teams.”
“People have no idea of the exceptionally high standard of youth football in the US and this is only going to heighten even more in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup which is being held in Mexico, the US and Canada.”
Table View has been the invited back to the Dallas Cup each year since 2022 and Barrows said this was a wonderful football, as well as life experience, for young people, and not just from Table View FC.
Another major attraction of the Dallas Cup is the homestay programme which the tournament offers to international teams. International players are invited into the homes of soccer parents whose son or daughter is also competing in the tournament.
For the 2025 tournament, the club will be represented by players from Table View, Hellenic FC and Cape Town Spurs among other local football clubs.
The other reason for opening it up is to lessen the financial burden on the Table View FC community.
It costs over R60 000 per player and if you multiply that by 18 or 20 players per squad, and of which we are sending two teams, it adds up to a significant investment and something which would simply not be sustainable if we limited the tournament to only Table View parents.”
He added that there are a number of young players who have been selected as part of the squad but who are not by the financial means to cover the costs which includes flights, accommodation, transport hire as well as training and match kit.
“As a club, we are planning a series of fundraising initiatives but would also make a plea to corporates, local businesses, as well as individuals to support us as a club to help make this dream a reality for these young people,” he added.
“Every little bit helps and it gives these young players a wonderful opportunity to showcase their talent and also contribute to an exchange of ideas, culture and learning about themselves and the world around them.”
*If anyone would like to donate to Table View’s Dallas Cup 2025 campaign, you can contact Barrows at craigbarrows13.cb@gmail.com