Lamontville Golden Arrows coach Serame Letsoaka is inspired by the growing number of local coaches in the PSL and he hopes he can prove to be good for the job in the top flight.

Letsoaka also believes that other local coaches like Steve Komphela and Eric Tinkler will also prove themselves in the elite league.

Letsoaka was appointed coach of newly promoted Arrows after the club decided against renewing the contract ofpromotion-winning coach Shaun Bartlett and has the difficult task of keeping the side in the Absa Premiership. Twelve of the 16 clubs in the Premiership have local coaches and that number could rise with Maritzburg United set to announce a coach in the near future, possibly Bartlett.

"This is the best of times in the country because of the number of local coaches working in our league. Safa has been producing coaches but they never had opportunities to be recognised," Letsoaka said.

"If you don't give local coaches a chance how will you know if [they are] capable?" Letsoaka has spent most of his coaching career as a national team coach, working with all junior national teams and the senior team Bafana Bafana as an assistant to Gordon Igesund, a man he worked with again at SuperSport United recently.

The coach is looking forward to working with players for long periods, a luxury he did not always have at national team level before matches or tournaments.

The former Safa technical director is banking on the experience of hard-working striker Mabhuti Khenyeza to guide the younger players in the team. "No one has the work rate of Mabhuti. He is a leader and he knows why he is at Arrows. Mabhuti has a big role to play.

"We'll assess the squad and see who we need to bring in."