Chippa United head coach Thabo September has revealed how relocating from Gqeberha to East London will benefit the club.
The Chilli Boys coach was speaking after their 0-0 draw against Golden Arrows on Saturday at the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale.
Having been based in Gqeberha since their move from Cape Town in 2014, Chippa could be preparing for another relocation. The club is considering a move to East London, according to September.
The Chippa gaffer believes this will help players from Gqeberha and surrounding areas to step outside their comfort zones and adopt a more professional approach by working further away from home.
In recent seasons, Chippa have been playing some of their matches in East London, at the Buffalo City Stadium. The move to the city could now be made permanent in the near future.
CHIPPA LOOK SET TO LEAVE GQEBERHA FOR EAST LONDON
“Mentally, some players struggle to play when they are home,” said September during the press conference at Mpumalanga Stadium.
“There’s a possibility of the club moving to East London, and that will help them to get out of the safe and nice environment of being at home and realise that they need to work.
“So we hope that the move to East London happens so that players that are from P.E. can get out of the homely environment and start taking football professional.”
Chippa United currently occupy ninth place in the league standings with 29 points from 22 matches. Despite facing a challenging schedule ahead, September has stated the team still holds aspirations of finishing in the top eight.
CHIPPA AIMING FOR TOP EIGHT
“We hope the robots turn green for us to [reach] top eight but we have a tough run because we still have to play [Mamelodi] Sundowns twice, [Kaizer] Chiefs, SuperSport [United] away, Marumo [Gallants] and Stellenbosch away,” September added.
“So, a tough run but we have a good squad, we have to believe because the way it is tight some teams might crack under pressure. Hopefully we don’t.
“To get a point from an away match against Golden Arrows is a good start.”
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