For international athletes, coaches & teams

Your private training base, approximately 3 minutes from the High Performance Institute.

Garden Court offers private, long-stay accommodation for athletes and coaches training at NWU's HPI — from a single private room to exclusive use of the entire six-room house for a full squad — with a full kitchen, included laundry, a private gym, garden and pool, at the altitude serious training camps are built around.

📍 32 Hoffman Street, Potchefstroom · 1,350m altitude · UTC+2

Plan a training camp → Enquire about a long stay →

Tereza Petržilková in the starting blocks

Tereza Petržilková Czech international 400m runner · World Championships bronze medallist, mixed 4×400m relay (2023) · stayed at Garden Court while training at the HPI

Why Potchefstroom

Built for European training calendars, not just South African ones.

1,350m

The right altitude

High enough to build endurance, not so high it blunts sprint speed — the range NWU's High Performance Institute is built around.

UTC+2

No jet lag

South Africa runs in step with Central European time. Land, train, and call home during normal office hours.

Nov–Mar

Your winter, our summer

European off-season falls in Potchefstroom's warm, dry summer — train outdoors through the months you'd otherwise lose.

~1h49

From OR Tambo

About 139km from Johannesburg's international airport, with direct flights from London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris.

European squads — from British and Scandinavian athletics teams to clubs across Central Europe — have used Potchefstroom as a winter training base for over two decades, drawn by this exact combination of altitude, climate timing and easy logistics.

Not just a pitch

This isn't the first team to make the trip.

A 25-year "annual trek"

World Athletics has covered European athletes training in Potchefstroom since the 1990s, describing a winter "annual trek" as far back as 2009 — athletes making the trip to escape the northern hemisphere's cold.

Still happening in 2026

Dutch Olympic 4×400m mixed relay champions Femke Bol, Lieke Klaver and Isaya Klein Ikkink trained in Potchefstroom this year, according to North-West University's own reporting — the same pattern, a quarter-century on.

Garden Court's own track record

Garden Court has hosted the Czech Athletic Federation directly, and sits approximately 3 minutes from NWU's training track at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds and High Performance Institute — with McArthur Stadium, an official World Athletics Class 2 Certified Athletics Facility, a 6-minute drive away.

World Athletics called Potchefstroom "THE training centre of the moment" as far back as 2001. Read the original piece →

Your private training base

Your own room — or the whole house.

Garden Court welcomes athletes and coaches for stays of any size. Book all six rooms and the entire main house becomes yours alone — bedrooms, lounges, the full kitchen, garden and swimming pool, with nobody else on the property, so recovery, meals and downtime happen entirely on your own schedule. Staying in fewer rooms, you still get your own private bedroom and full use of the kitchen, gym, garden and pool, alongside any other guests staying at the same time. Laundry is included throughout your stay, so kit and training gear are always ready for the next session.

6Private rooms

12Guests sharing, max

Full private kitchen
Laundry included
Private gym on-site
Pool & garden access
Chef by arrangement
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Daily housekeeping, Mon–Fri
Secure parking

From €1,600Per person, per month — solo athletes to full squads

All 6 roomsRequired for exclusive use of the whole house

Enquire about your stay →

Rates shown are per person, per month, for accommodation only, quoted in EUR for international athletes and teams (South African bookings are quoted in ZAR). Exclusive use of the whole house applies once all six rooms are booked together; smaller stays include a private room with shared access to the kitchen, garden and pool. Get in touch for a tailored quote for your group size and dates.

Garden Court swimming pool with sun loungers, private for visiting teams during their stay

Aerial view of Garden Court, its garden and swimming pool

Garden Court house beyond a rose-lined garden path

Notable guest

Training at the HPI, staying at Garden Court

Czech 400m runner Tereza Petržilková trained at the High Performance Institute and called Garden Court home base for the stint — she kindly agreed to let us share a few photos from her time here.

Tereza Petržilková at the High Performance Institute

The connection

Approximately 3 minutes from where she trained

This one was taken pitch-side at the HPI itself — the same facility Garden Court sits a short walk from. It's the whole reason the guesthouse works so well for visiting athletes and teams: proper training grounds, then a quiet room and a real breakfast afterwards.

Tereza has represented the Czech Republic at the World Championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics, and won bronze in the mixed 4×400m relay at the 2023 World Championships.

Tereza Petržilková racing at the Paris 2024 Olympics — **Paris, 2024** Competing in the 400m at the Olympic Games

Tereza Petržilková racing — **Race day** In season, on the track

Tereza Petržilková in a leopard-print top at the track — **Even the wardrobe made a case for South Africa.**

Photos courtesy of Tereza Petržilková.

Planning your stay

What team managers usually ask first.

Check-in & check-out

Check-in from 3pm to 10pm, check-out at 10:00am. Early or late arrival can be arranged in advance.

Deposit & payment

A 50% deposit secures the booking, with the balance due seven days before arrival. Payment by EFT, secure payment link or card.

Accessibility

The ground-floor Roy Graham Suite is available on request for athletes or staff with mobility needs.

Pool hours

The pool is open 7:30am–6:00pm for recovery swims, with later access arranged on request.

Kitchen

A full private kitchen is included. Bring your own pantry basics, or stock up at the supermarket across the road.

Laundry

Laundry is included for the full duration of your stay, so training kit stays clean and ready between sessions.

Parking

Limited secure on-site parking can be reserved in advance, plus monitored street parking nearby for team vehicles or a minibus.

Questions federations & team managers ask

Planning a training camp, answered.

Where can international athletes stay near NWU's High Performance Institute?

Garden Court is approximately 3 minutes' walk from NWU's High Performance Institute and Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds. The whole main house is available privately for visiting teams, with a full kitchen, laundry, a private gym, garden and pool.

Is Garden Court close to NWU's athletics track?

Yes — Garden Court is approximately 3 minutes from NWU's training track at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds and the High Performance Institute. NWU's McArthur Stadium, an official World Athletics Class 2 Certified Athletics Facility, is about a 6-minute drive away.

Is Potchefstroom good for altitude training?

Yes — Potchefstroom sits at approximately 1,350m, high enough to build endurance without blunting sprint speed, which is exactly the range NWU's High Performance Institute is built around. It's also UTC+2 year-round, so European squads train without jet lag.

Can a whole athletics team or squad book Garden Court together?

Yes. Teams book the entire main house privately — up to 6 athletes in private rooms, or up to 12 sharing — rather than individual rooms alongside other guests.

Does a solo athlete or small group get exclusive use of the whole house?

Exclusive use of the whole property applies once all six rooms are booked together, whether by a full squad or a smaller group taking every room. A solo athlete or pair staying in one or two rooms is very welcome at the same per-person monthly rate, with a private bedroom and full use of the kitchen, gym, garden and pool alongside any other guests staying at the same time.

How far is Garden Court from OR Tambo International Airport?

About 139km, roughly 1 hour 49 minutes by road, with direct flights into OR Tambo from London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris.

Does Garden Court have experience hosting international athletes?

Yes — Garden Court has hosted the Czech Athletic Federation, and Czech 400m runner Tereza Petržilková, a World Championships bronze medallist and 2024 Olympian, trained at the HPI while based here.

Can athletes or teams check in late at night after a long-haul flight?

Yes. International arrivals often land in the evening, and a late check-in is no problem as long as we know your arrival time in advance — just confirm it with us beforehand rather than arriving unannounced.