Updates from the under 12s to under 14s in Holland this week
During this week, some of our Academy squads are currently on tour in Holland.
Lead Foundation Phase Coach Matt Chart has provided us with a tour diary from the team hotel....
PART TWO
Thursday
A final training session after breakfast to work on some of the areas highlighted from the previous evening's game. This included 30 minutes of 11v11 in game coaching for both teams to work on specific ideas ahead of the final games vs Heerenveen. We headed back to the hotel for lunch and then the boys had some free time to go in the pool and then relax in their rooms and pack most of their bags before heading off to Heerenveen. Again we were playing against good quality opponents (top level in Holland). The Under 12/13 team matched their opponents in the first half but again fell away towards the end of the second, with our opponents used to playing on a full sized pitch and with a size 5 ball in all of their games. The U13/14 squad showed some quality to come away victorious in their fixture. All the games were a valuable experience allowing the players to be exposed to different football styles and cultures and I hope the boys take as much away from the games as the coaches. After the games had ended we headed back to the hotel and to bed before an early rise for the final day.
Friday
An early breakfast awaited us on the Friday before we loaded the bus and made our way to Eindhoven for a tour around the Philips Stadion, home of PSV Eindhoven. A great opportunity for the boys to visualise playing in front of 35,000 fans. A club with a rich history and some footballing greats in their teams, we were granted access to their changing rooms, executive suites and media room. Once the tour had concluded we went round the museum and saw clips of some of the great players of the past and the full trophy room, including many a Eredivisie title topped off with the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League trophies. After this we were back on the bus to head back to Dunkirk for our ferry home. Another smooth journey, meaning we arrived back in Northampton at around 10.15pm, with some very tired players and staff ready for a chilled weekend!
The boys conducted themselves superbly and represented the club in a brilliant manner. We received comments from the hotel staff about how well behaved our players were which is a testament to their behaviour and professionalism. A massive thank you also to the coaches who have made the trip so much fun but also gave the boys quality sessions and feedback during games and sessions. We arrived back feeling the trip was a huge success and look forward to the next one.