Former Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa is happy to see South African clubs sending their squads overseas for pre-season training camps.
The Buccaneers have confirmed that they will return to Spain as part of their preparations for the 2024/25 campaign.
Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns are reportedly travelling to Austria and Kaizer Chiefs are set for Turkey.
De Sa reckons it’s a positive trend for South African football as a whole, due to teams opening up new opportunities for partnerships to form while also taking advantage of state-of-the-art training facilities in Europe.
“Teams all over the world are doing it; travelling out of their countries for pre-season,” said De Sa.
“This is a team-building exercise as well, so I think it’ll be beneficial for SA teams to go and do their preseason camp in Europe.”
“They will get good facilities, and Europe is hot at the moment, so going there will help these teams to get out of their comfort zone, especially because it’s winter in SA.
“Sometimes a change is good,” De Sa added. “I think they’ve situated their experiences back home, and now they need something new.
“Let’s be honest, in SA we are also limited in terms of where to hold preseasons, playing the same teams every season.
“If these teams get a good exchange program with other clubs and start to work with sponsors and so on, it could also bear far-reaching partnerships.”