Developing Young Footballers: The Dutch Method
European football continues to be dominated by a select few clubs, those clubs with financial power that cannot be matched by those from smaller, poorer leagues. It is for this reason that Ajax’s journey to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals was so remarkable. The Eredivisie, while successful in its own right, produces less than a tenth of the revenue that the Premier League accumulates, yet this financial minnow was able to compete. In fact, Eredivisie teams have always been competitive when compared to their financial equals, such as the Austrian League. This success lies, at least in part, with the Dutch model of football development, which helps to create technically astute and expressive players who can drive domestic success.
‘Jong Oranje’ - ‘Young Orange’
One notable quirk to the system is the existence of ‘Jong’ (Young) teams that represent the larger Dutch clubs lower down the pyramid. Here, youth development takes priority as developmental players regularly compete against men. The ability of players to gain valuable experience while transitioning from an age grade to professional level of playing is invaluable but is also ruthless. Many youth players struggle, and in fact, many of these ‘B’ sides struggle to meet success in their respective leagues, but this works to allow players to sink or swim, to allow clubs to examine prospects in a pressurised environment. Pep Guardiola has previously suggested that English football had an issue with developing talent due to the gap that exists between academy’s and the Premier League, even suggesting the creation of B teams to compete down the pyramid. British football could learn a lot from the Dutch approach - providing youngsters with meaningful competitive football in hostile environments (playing against teams with real support and boisterous atmospheres) is astoundingly beneficial.
Competition for contracts is far fiercer in the Dutch development system than in the British. Dutch clubs will only contract a few talented youngsters. In fact, NAC Breda had only seven paid players in the U20s, yet around 40 between their U17s and U19s. This intense competition for places is both beneficial and not - while players are pushed to their limit competing for so few contracts, winning is not everything and the prioritisation of this over development at a crucial stage in development, as players are stepping up to the first team, could lead to clubs wasting the potential of their players.
Identity
During 2013/14, 8500 coaches and staff from UEFA’s member countries attended a UEFA study visit to Holland focussing on football development, among other things. This offered a unique insight into the Dutch system of development.
One important aspect of Dutch footballing culture came in their development of a footballing identity, morphed through an understanding of the history of Dutch football and culture. While no two Dutch clubs are the same, Dutch clubs also have a somewhat binding ideology, something that Piet Hubers (KNVB technical manager) believes to be a combination of creativity, adventure, innovation and activity.
Perhaps better explaining the easy transition that Dutch players manage to make when moving onto senior football can also be explained by this binding ideology, the fact that young players can move clubs or transition towards professionalism all while playing a similarly branded style of play. Klopp and Guardiola have been making strides in imbuing a sense of identity to their respective clubs, and it is plain to see the success that their youth setups have had in the last few years. A ‘B’ sides approach could fail in the UK - the Championship is remarkably competitive and physical, and could impede player development. Perhaps what we can learn from the Dutch system is the importance of tying an ideology to football development.
What do you make of the Dutch youth system? Should countries like England introduce ‘B‘ teams to compete in the lower leagues to develop young players for the adult game?