Educational annual visit by Tennessee SC
Tennessee Soccer Club visited Feyenoord with their U11 squad from the 19th till the 27th of October. The club from Nashville is an official partner of Feyenoord and their team trip to Rotterdam is an annual event for their U11 teams. TSC brought a team consisting of 13 players and two staff members to have an intensive week of training with Feyenoord’s International Development Coach David Toxopeus. Besides training sessions, the talents from Tennessee also played three friendly matches against Dutch partner clubs of the Feyenoord Academy.
The young players had a very busy schedule, including six training sessions, three friendly matches, two video analysis sessions and multiple cultural activities. ‘Our trip to Feyenoord is one we look forward to all year long’, said Tennessee SC U11 coach Jimmy Drain. ‘From team trainings and games to the professional matches and all cultural experiences in Rotterdam, this trip provides it all.’
| Alexandria '66 U11 | Tennessee U11 | 9-0 |
| VV Spijkenisse U11 | Tennessee U11 | 3-1 |
| BVV Barendrecht U11 | Tennessee U11 | 1-0 |
Unfortunately, the boys from Tennessee SC were unable to win a match against Feyenoord’s Academy partners Alexandria ’66, VV Spijkenisse and BVV Barendrecht. International Development Coach David Toxopeus was in charge of the team during the training sessions and matches. ‘During this training week we trained a lot on the different phases of play’, said Toxopeus. ‘I could see a number of talented players developing during this intensive week with individual player meetings, team discussions and video analysis.’
We appreciate our relationship with Feyenoord, their coaches and staff as they are top-notch. Jimmy Drain, Tennessee SC U11 Coach
Besides their own footballing activities, the American team also visited three professional football matches in both Dutch first and second division. The highlight was experiencing a home match of Feyenoord on the 20th of October when Feyenoord faced Heracles at stadium de Kuip. Feyenoord drew this match 1-1, despite the positive cheering from the TSC guests. ‘The Feyenoord experience is unlike any other’, said Mike Otto, Boys Academy Director at TSC. ‘The training, games and professional matches are well orchestrated and the personal touch brought by the Feyenoord coaches and staff are world-class and they are exceptional at what they do’.
The team also had the opportunity to explore the Netherlands during their stay in Rotterdam. They played a game of footgolf and enjoyed a guided city tour through Rotterdam during the first weekend, in order to get to know more about the city of Rotterdam and it’s history. In the second weekend, the Americans went to Delft to tour the city. Besides the city tour, they also went to the Feyenoord Academy to see the Feyenoord U12’s and U13’s play their league games at Feyenoord’s new youth complex.