Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela is hoping that the club’s great development structures can produce more first-team players in the coming years.

Chiefs promoted Bruce Bvuma, Siyabonga Ngezana, Wiseman Meyiwa and Khotso Malope ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, but the former Free State Stars mentor has called for the infusion of more youth players into the senior team.

‘My wish is that 50 percent of a Chiefs team on the park must be from our youth, because we’ve got a great infrastructure of youth at Chiefs,’ he told KickOff.

‘When you have 50 percent coming from your youth, 30 percent of top players in South Africa and the rest coming from worldwide – foreigners – it’s perfect.

‘If you’re looking at a 30-man squad, then you’re saying five foreigners, 10 top players in South Africa and 15 from the youth, what else do you want?

‘You’re guaranteed success, sustainability and upholding the traditions and culture of Chiefs, because a kid who comes from Chiefs – Doctor [Khumalo], ‘Itu’ Khune came from our youth – they understand the culture.

‘If you have 15 of those influencing the rest, you’re likely to succeed, but if you don’t take care of that, then at the end of a generation you have to rebuild – that process is not easy.

‘There’s no time to say, ”no, it’s a building process” – nothing like that. We have to keep small waves when generations come to an end,’ he added.

The lack of goals scored by homegrown forwards has seen a rise in PSL clubs scouting abroad for lethal proven goal-scorers, and Komphela suggested that South Africa take a page from England’s book regarding development.

‘If you look at the PFA in England or anywhere else [in Europe], they even look at the rating of a country before awarding a player an opportunity to campaign in their league.

‘If we have top foreigners – reputable foreigners, great internationals – coming to South Africa, the standard of the game will improve.

‘The PSL has grown in leaps and bounds, but again, it is not good when you have just ordinary players who are not internationals, but foreigners coming in, it affects the standard of the game.

‘You don’t want to have a foreign player sitting on the bench, you’d want him to play week in, week out,’ he concluded.

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