In the past the country had the likes of Arendse and Hans Vonk playing for the likes of Fulham, Oxford United, Heerenveen and Ajax Amsterdam.
These days the only recognised local keeper playing abroad is Darren Keet of OH Leuven in Belgium, with Brad Norman and Dani Amos also based overseas.
Even South Africa's best goalkeeper in recent years Itumeleng Khune came close on many occasions to moving abroad but nothing materialised.
"I think you would have to look at a combination of things," Arendse, who is now the goalkeeper coach for Bafana and SuperSport United, tells snl24.com/kickoff.
"You know in the modern South African game, we have just as much quality in the goalkeeping department as we had back in the day when I was playing.
"You had some massive names you know when you include the likes of Brian Baloyi, Roger de Sa, Mark Anderson, Steve Crowley... all of these quality goalkeepers coming through, and I've just mentioned a few of them... John Tlale is another one, and Grant Johnson.
"I think the difference between then and now is not so much, but it is the amount of money that is in the game now opposed to then.
"Back then it was also a way of putting yourself in the European market so you could earn more money and so you could also learn more about the game, which is one of the reasons I went abroad, to learn more about the game. It helped me because I've incorporated a lot of things that I've learnt over there into my coaching now.
"So there is lot more money in the local game and perhaps because of that there is not a lot of interest in terms of going overseas.
"I know it is every player's dream to want to go overseas, but the opportunities maybe are not as many as they were back then. And if you combine that with the earning power that the players have in the modern game, it's a combination of factors."
