There could be an opportunity for South African young aspiring footballers to find themselves having trials or touring Saudi Arabia soon.
This comes as negotiations are at an advanced stage through the activ8 development programme and the Khalid Mubarak Football Academy.
The partnership is being facilitated by highly qualified South African born coach Raven Fisher who has spent most of his time in the Western Asian country.
The deal will see young players from the activ8 securing an opportunity at the Academy and their Saudi Arabian counterparts touring South Africa.
Fisher is part of the coaches and football legends who are in Polokwane, Limpopo for the Activ8 football development boot camp programme. The camp is being hosted in Polokwane and also involves legends such as Andrew Rabutla and Mpho Maleka.
“As you are aware I was in Saudi Arabia last year. We have been in talks over an exchange programme especially in the Middle East. Not just players going from South Africa to Saudi Arabia and vice versa. We also about sharing and learning different cultures not only on the football front,” Fisher told FARPost.
“It opens up a huge avenue and we are trying to be the pioneers that set to improve SA football.”
“For me this partnership that I have arranged with support from activ8 in Saudi Arabia there are big things coming. I won’t reveal a lot because we have not launched. But there is a partnership coming with an academy in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
WHAT SAUDI ARABIA ACADEMY WILL OFFER
“The plan is that there will be an exchange program with SA players going to Saudi Arabia and them coming here. Whether it will be a football tour or trials or other opportunities but for now we first need to have final discussions.”
Raven Fisher is a qualified UEFA football coach, who is based in the Western Cape.
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