Kaizer Chiefs sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr has given reasons why the club chose to take their pre-season camp to the Netherlands this year.
Chiefs are camping in Europe again after going to Turkey last year but the Netherlands offers a different experience to the players who are preparing for the 2025-26 season when they will be challenging both domestically and on the continent.
The Glamour Boys are looking for improvements on the ninth-place finish of last season in the league while bidding to go further in the CAF Confederation Cup and Motaung Jr feels they chose the best pace for their preparations.
Kaizer Jr justifies Netherlands pre-season camp
“It's about cross-cultures and about having a pre-season at a higher level than we are used to, which also has to do with having really competitive training matches,” explained Motaung Jr on the decision to take the squad to Holland for pre-season.
“Training and playing games in Europe is also about getting players out of their comfort zone. It's a different environment; it's about a lot of travelling to the training matches and it's about preparing the mindset of the players for the upcoming season.”
In the Netherlands, Chiefs will play five friendly matches against Dutch sides SBV Vitesse Arnhem (July 8), FC Utrecht (July 11), NEC Nijmegen (July 12), PEC Zwolle (15) and FC Twente Enschede on July 16, fixtures that Motaung Jr believes will test the players to their limits.
What does Chiefs boss expect from Holland tour?
“We want the players to test themselves against these really strong sides. They will learn from it and will not only become better as individual players, but, maybe even more important, improve as a team,” he added.
“Going to Holland is not only something new for the youngsters, but also for several of the older players. It's about integrating the newly signed players into the squad and bonding as a team.
“The most important aspect, of course, is to get the players fully prepared for the upcoming season, both from a physical and tactical point of view.”
Chiefs are preparing for their first pre-season match set to take place on Tuesday against Eredivisie side Vitesse at Sportpark Driel in Driel.
