Swedish delegation visited Feyenoord Academy
Elite Fotboll visited the Feyenoord Academy on the 6th of October with a group of 33 coaches, representing 24 clubs of the two highest Swedish football divisions, to understand more about Feyenoord's philosophy on youth- and coach development. The day was primarily used to get a better understanding of the Feyenoord methodology and philosophy with the intention to gain many new insights which can be taken home to implement at their academies.
The day started with observing the U13, U14 & U15 training sessions. After watching the training sessions, the group went to the Feyenoord Stadium for a presentation by Raymond van Meenen, Head of Operations, who talked about the structure and methodology of the Academy and gave information on the Feyenoord Academy's history, current organization, and particularly the club's football vision.
Following the lunch, Melvin Boel, Head Coach of the U21's, gave a presentation that went more into depth about the Feyenoord playing style and vision, with some in-practice examples. The group went back to the Academy to get a tour of the Academy before watching the U16's training, coached by Brian Pinas and Robin van Persie. After the observation of the U16's, the emphasis shifted to player guidance and development on and off the pitch. Ferdi Claessen provided information about how Feyenoord interacts with its players and, in particular, how they develop personally. In Sweden, most clubs do not have a personal development coach who guides the players along the pitch, making this talk eye-opening and a good closing of the day.
The involved coaches bring the information back to their clubs and may use some of it to expand their academies in the future. 'Our visit was a great experience for everyone involved', said Thomas Hasselgren, initiator of the visit. 'The Feyenoord philosophy has many similarities with the Swedish football vision. The presentations and training sessions were insightful and it was an exciting day. We would love to come back one day!'