The FIRST® Robotics
Competition Pathway
One journey from LEGO® bricks to real engineering — and every stage prepares your child for the next one. Pick your child’s age band below to see their team.
2026: Sheen Academy covers ALL FIRST LEGO League season costs — no charge to parents.
FLL Explore — discover STEM the playful way
Teams of young explorers dive into a real-world theme, build a motorised LEGO® model, and share what they discovered at a festival-style showcase. No pressure, no scoreboards — just curiosity with a purpose.
- 1Hands-on buildingLearn how machines move by building them — motors, wheels and moving parts.
- 2Mechanical basicsGears, levers and pulleys — the building blocks behind every robot.
- 3First coding stepsBring the team model to life with simple block programming.
- 4Show & tell confidencePresent the team’s poster and model — every child gets a voice.
Training: Fri & Sat 2:30–4:30 PM (provisional) · For enrolled Sheen Academy students — log in with your enrollment account to register.
FLL Challenge — the real team competition
This is where learners go from “learning robotics” to competing as a team: an autonomous LEGO® robot scoring missions on the game table, plus an innovation project judged side-by-side with the robot game.
- 1Mission strategyRead the season’s missions, plan routes and pick the battles worth scoring.
- 2Autonomous programmingProgram the robot to run missions on its own — reliably, run after run.
- 3Innovation projectFind a real-world problem around the season theme and design a solution.
- 4Team presentationSplit the work, own a role, and pitch the project to a judging panel.
Training: Fri & Sat 2:30–4:30 PM (provisional) · For enrolled Sheen Academy students — log in with your enrollment account to register.
FIRST® Tech Challenge — engineering for real
The step beyond LEGO: metal chassis, CAD-designed parts, Java code and a documented engineering process — the closest a high-schooler gets to a real robotics team before university.
- 1Mechanical designDesign drivetrains, arms and mechanisms in metal — then machine and build them.
- 2Code & controlJava programming for TeleOp driving, autonomous routines and sensors.
- 3Engineering iterationTest, log problems, redesign, retest — kept in a real engineering portfolio.
- 4Team rolesBuild, code, drive, document, scout — everyone owns a real responsibility.
- 5Project managementShip a competition-ready robot on a real deadline, as a real team.
FTC season fee: R11,500 per student
- Team kit share, field & registrationR3,000
- Professional coaching (full season, 2× weekly)R7,200
- Team shirt, consumables & event logisticsR1,300
The robot kit stays with the academy — parents never buy hardware. Pay online or by EFT; payment plans available on request.
Pre-season August · season September – February · training Wed & Fri 2:30–4:30 PM + one Saturday a month for outreach (provisional).
Open to external students — prior STEM grounding (pure maths, physical science or technology) preferred.
Why we moved from WRO to FIRST®
- A bigger experience. FIRST judges the whole engineer — robot performance and the innovation project, teamwork and presentation — not just what happens on the game table.
- A real pathway. FLL Explore feeds FLL Challenge, and FLL Challenge builds exactly the design thinking our new FTC squad needs. One ecosystem, ages 6 to 18.
- A dedicated home. We are building a dedicated robotics training space designed specifically for FLL and FTC preparation.
- Our commitment. Top-tier coaching and resources — and for 2026, all FLL competition costs are covered by Sheen Academy at no additional cost to parents.
From Cape Town to the world stage
- FTC — destination Houston. Winning FIRST Tech Challenge teams can earn an invitation to the FIRST Championship in Houston, USA — competing alongside the best student engineering teams on the planet.
- FLL — world festivals. Top FLL Challenge teams are invited to international open championships and FIRST festivals across the globe.
- A global community. FIRST connects hundreds of thousands of students in over 100 countries — your child joins a worldwide network of young engineers, and a CV credential that universities recognise.
The 2026 season at a glance
- Late June – JulyOfficial FLL registration opens · team preparation begins
- AugustFLL season launch — the new challenge is revealed worldwide · FTC pre-season training begins
- August – OctoberFLL robot building, programming & innovation project development
- Mid-Oct – NovemberFLL regional qualifying competitions
- September – FebruaryFTC competition season — build, qualifiers & SA championship events
- BeyondTop teams advance to nationals — FTC winners can reach the FIRST Championship in Houston, USA
Training times shown are the provisional plan and may be adjusted in consultation with parents; team allocations are confirmed at each team’s kickoff once registration closes.
Want to read more about FIRST®?
These competitions are run worldwide by FIRST — the official sites have season themes, rules and stories from teams around the globe:
Parents ask…
Q: Who can join the FLL teams?
FLL Explore and FLL Challenge places are a free benefit for students enrolled in Sheen Academy weekly classes. Registration is done through your parent account — please log in with the same account you used when enrolling, and we will fill in your child’s details automatically. The FTC squad is a paid programme and is open to external students too.
Q: When does each team train?
FLL teams (Explore and Challenge): Fridays 2:30–4:30 PM and Saturdays 2:30–4:30 PM. FTC squad: Wednesdays and Fridays 2:30–4:30 PM, plus one Saturday per month for outreach activities — community outreach, volunteer projects and rookie-team scrimmages. These times are a provisional plan and may be adjusted in consultation with parents once teams are formed.
Q: Does this clash with our weekly Sheen Academy classes?
No — competition training runs on separate days and does not replace or clash with weekly classes. It is an additional time commitment on top of the normal timetable, so please make sure your family can commit to the training schedule for the season.
Q: How much attendance is expected?
A competition team functions like a small engineering squad — every member owns part of the design, build and code, so consistent attendance matters. We ask team members to attend at least 90% of scheduled sessions, and attendance at the qualifying competition itself is essential for the whole team.
Q: Does my child need any robotics experience to join?
For FLL, no prior competition experience is needed — FLL Explore is designed for beginners, and our weekly robotics classes feed naturally into FLL Challenge. For the FTC squad we prefer students with a STEM foundation — comfortable in pure mathematics, physical science or technology subjects — but enthusiasm and commitment count most; our coaches build the technical skills through the season.
Q: How much does it cost to take part?
For the 2026 season Sheen Academy covers all FIRST LEGO League competition costs — registration, equipment and coaching — at no additional cost to parents. The FIRST Tech Challenge team fee is R11,500 per student for the full season, covering the team kit share, professional coaching, team shirt and event logistics. EFT payment plans are available on request.
Q: How are teams selected?
FLL Explore and FLL Challenge places are open to all age-eligible enrolled students on a first-come basis. The FTC squad is limited to 10 students aged 12-18; places are confirmed after a short chat with our coaches about interest, commitment and role fit (build, code, drive, documentation or outreach).
Q: What happens after the regional competitions?
Top-performing teams qualify for the South African national finals — and from there, the world. Winning FTC teams can earn an invitation to the FIRST Championship in Houston, USA, and top FLL teams are invited to international festivals and open championships around the globe. Whatever the result, every team member finishes the season with a portfolio of real engineering, coding and presentation work.
Ready to join the journey?
Places are limited — FLL teams fill on a first-come basis and the FTC squad has just 10 seats.
Questions? Email info@sheen.bot or chat to us at the academy.
FIRST®, FIRST® LEGO® League and FIRST® Tech Challenge are trademarks of FIRST and the LEGO Group, which do not sponsor or endorse Sheen Academy.