Orlando Pirates Reserves are set to take their historic DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) triumph to Europe when they embark on a nine-day Winners Tour of the Netherlands.
The Buccaneers’ reserve side will be in the Netherlands from August 14 to 23, following a memorable campaign that saw them claim their first-ever DStv Diski Challenge title after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 in the final.
The tour will provide the young Pirates players with an opportunity to test themselves against some of the Netherlands’ established youth development programmes while gaining valuable exposure to a different football culture and style of play.
Their first competitive assignment will be against SBV Vitesse Arnhem on August 18 at the club’s Papendal training complex.
Founded in 1892, Vitesse has a long history of developing football talent, while the Papendal facility brings together the club’s youth and senior structures.
Two days later, on August 20, Pirates will face De Graafschap at the Bezelhorst training complex in Doetinchem.
De Graafschap has also placed strong emphasis on youth development, with its U21 side having won the KNVB Dutch Cup for U21 teams.
The tour will conclude with a mini-tournament in Rotterdam on August 22 at the Robey Academy, where the DDC champions will come up against Sparta Rotterdam and Japan’s Yamanashi Gakuin High School.
Sparta Rotterdam, founded in 1888, is the oldest professional football club in the Netherlands and boasts a highly regarded youth academy. Its academy has produced a number of prominent Dutch football figures, including Danny Blind, Louis van Gaal, Dick Advocaat and Winston Bogarde, as well as current Netherlands international Denzel Dumfries.
The Pirates Reserves will also get an opportunity to experience Dutch top-flight football first-hand.
The squad is scheduled to attend an Eredivisie match at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam on August 16, before watching another live match at Sparta Stadion in Rotterdam on August 22.
For the young Buccaneers, the Netherlands tour represents more than just a series of football matches.
It offers the DDC champions an opportunity to face unfamiliar opposition, learn from different football philosophies, and experience a development system widely regarded for producing talented players.
Having conquered South Africa’s premier reserve-team competition for the first time, Orlando Pirates Reserves will now look to use their Dutch adventure as another important step in their development and preparation for the next stage of their football careers.