Developing football in the Netherlands
Article summary
When it comes to football pioneers, few nations can match the Dutch and their ingenuity has had a profound impact on the game at home and throughout Europe.
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Article body
Overview
The KNVB worked towards three main strategic goals during the 2018–2022 period:
1. Designing high-quality football propositions for every player from grassroots to the professional game.
2. Providing every player at each level with access to a qualified coach.
3. Enhancing the participation and involvement of women in the game.
Positive results have included:
High-quality football products
- Introduction of '4 phase-football' at the youngest level, creating four periods throughout the season that continually enhance the equality of opposition, the development of individual players and as a result, their perceived pleasure of the game.
- Development of the eQuality index, a data-based prediction of the strength of teams in order to create more competitive balance throughout the leagues.
- Launch of several new products, responding to a more 'demand-centric' and flexible way of playing the game e.g. 7 vs 7 adult games.
"The KNVB stands for guts, passion, creativity, connection and innovation in football. Therefore, we have the ambition to further the game with an innovative long-term vision."
Competent coaches
- An annual programme to educate and assist first-time youth coaches. It offers all new coaches a set of tools to best fulfil their role.
- The evolution of Rinus, the online assistant coach for all youth coaches.
Women in football
- Introduction of a development programme to enhance the status, policies and quality of women’s football within clubs.
- A programme to increase the number of women’s coaches, referees, volunteers and board members.
UEFA support
With the help of UEFA's HatTrick development programme, the KNVB created a hub for the national game at Zeist. The KNVB Football Campus was opened with three specific purposes:
- To host training camps of all national teams;
- To develop football knowledge through performance analysis;
- To foster education and development by offering education and conferences.
The campus now consists of specific facilities for:
- Training and research (playing fields, indoor hall, performance facilities)
- Sports medical centre (treatment and research on players)
- Education (meeting and lodging facilities)
- Offices (the KNVB, professional league and other football organisations)
UEFA Foundation for Children in the Netherlands
Set up in 2015, the UEFA Foundation uses football as a vehicle to help improve children’s lives by supporting hundreds of campaigns and projects across Europe and around the world.
Het Gehandicapte Kind foundation
There are more than 100,000 disabled children in the Netherlands. Exercise is very important to improve their health, independence and self-confidence. The Het Gehandicapte Kind foundation believes that all children should be able to share the same dreams and playing for their favourite football club is one those.
In 2019, the Het Gehandicapte Kind foundation kicked off the world's first official football competition for disabled children: Bijzondere Eredivisie. Children with a disability are given the opportunity to join a professional football club and play the sport they love. Playing sport helps them become socially included, build friendships and boost their self-confidence. Ten football clubs competed in the first season: Ajax, ADO Den Haag, De Graafschap, Excelsior, FC Emmen, FC Groningen, FC Utrecht, Heracles Almelo, SC Heerenveen and VVV Venlo.
Timeline
Association history
National team competitions
President
Just Spee
Nationality: Dutch
Date of birth: 12 January 1965
Association president since: December 2019
General secretary
Gijs de Jong
Nationality: Dutch
Date of birth: 24 July 1972
Association general secretary since: 2017