PEC Zwolle, the technical partners to football in the Stellenbosch region, along with the Dutch FA, are helping to contribute to grassroot football in the Cape Winelands region.
Zwolle held their mid-season training camp at the University of Stellenbosch, along with German side VfB Stuttgart, playing matches against local teams Ajax Cape Town and Vasco da Gama.
Stellenbosch is becoming a preferred choice for training camps due to their world-class infrastructure that consists of two stadiums, a high performance centre, a full-size astro-turf field, all the University’s facilities.
Zwolle and the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) are sharing information with Stellenbosch’s football team, Maties, who campaign in the SAB League (fourth tier). The relationship is aimed at investing in Maties on their bid to become the region’s first professional side in the top level of domestic football.
German club VfB Stuttgart, who are also on tour in Cape Town, played against the Dutch side PEC Zwolle in Stellenbosch.
Kamohelo Mokotjo, South African professional footballer who plays for PEC Zwolle as a defensive midfielder, commented on his team’s stay: “South Africa is a beautiful country and it’s a good place for any team to come and hold their training camp. It will be a good experience for the boys; they haven’t seen a lot of sun because it’s winter in Holland,but most importantly it’s about getting our fitness levels up. I’ve also enjoyed my vacation but now it’s time to work and get ready for when the season resumes. I know that they have very good facilities in Stellenbosch and we need that to be ready for our first game after the winter break. I’m glad we’re camping here in South Africa”.
The 22-year-old joined Dutch giants Feyenoord from the SuperSport United academy team in 2008, but spent the first two seasons on loan with lower division outfit SBV Excelsior. Mokotjo then returned to Feyenoord at the start of the 2010/11 season, but after failing to establish himself as a regular starter, he joined Zwolle ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.
The international training and match days resulted in the below scores:
Pec Zwolle 1 v Ajax Cape Town FC 2
VFB Stuttgart 5 v Vasco Da Gama 0
Pec Zwolle 1 v Vfb Stuttgart 4