Feyenoord welcomes Real Madrid Graduate School to the Academy

In the early morning, the students were welcomed by the Feyenoord staff and went on to watch the training sessions of the U13, U14, and the U15. After these insightful sessions, the group got their first informative presentation of the day by Mark Ruijl, Head of Scouting. With new and innovative ideas on scouting, Mark was able to inspire the Real Madrid Graduate School guests.

With new knowledge to build on, the students received a lunch and recharged with new energy to watch their second presenter of the day, David Toxopeus, the Feyenoord Academy U15’s Head Coach, sharing his expertise on the Feyenoord Football Vision to the graduate students. After David’s presentation, the students were directly able to see the football vision back on the field by watching the U16’s training session. To close the day on a high, Raymond van Meenen (Head of Operations at Feyenoord) presented his insights on the Academy’s strategy and culture to the Real Madrid Graduate students.

Francisco Gross Salmeron, one of the representatives of the Real Madrid Graduate School, visited the Feyenoord Academy multiple times. ‘The development of the player and of a club in the medium and long term is based on the stability of the project’, starts Gross. ‘And Feyenoord has that stability which is the foundation of progress, and which improves its performance in the youth academy year after year.’ Students of the group were unanimously positive about the knowledge they gained throughout the day, and felt welcomed at Varkenoord.

Gido Vader, Manager of International Relations at Feyenoord: ‘We are pleased to see that the Real Madrid Graduate School has once again paid a visit to the Feyenoord Academy. We appreciate this long-term partnership. The Real Madrid Graduate School always brings students from all corners of the globe. We are looking forward to welcoming them again to our academy in the future.’