One-time Bundesliga champions SV Werder Bremen were impressed by the training facilities South Africa has to offer on a recent visit to Johannesburg – enough to return to the country to escape the German winter.

According to a statem issued out by the club, the Green-Whites will be holding their winter training camp in these shores in January next year, and plan to face one local team in a Friendly during the trip.

Club CEO Klaus Fibry said the trip will also serve to raise the Green-White’s profile in South Africa.

“The Bundesliga is very popular in South Africa. As part of this trip, we want to make sure we help to make Werder and the Bundesliga more well-known out there. There are other interesting projects which we would like to support the DFL with, for example, we are planning to visit Amandla’s Safe-Hub project in South Africa too.”

Werder Bremen will be based at Johannesburg’s Fairway Hotel, which hosted the Brazilian national side during the 2010 World Cup, and will be training at Randburg FC’s training ground.

They are currently well-set in the German Bundesliga, occupying second place in the league standings behind Borussia Dortmund after claiming five wins in eight matches so far, the most recent a 2-0 away victory to Schalke on Saturday.