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‘How come the Dutch are always in the FIFA ranking top ten? What is the secret of Dutch football and AFC Ajax?’

These were the kinds of questions FAD's founder Edmond Claus, former head of acedemy at AFC Ajax, was asked wherever he went. His answer was always the same: "It comes down to understanding player development and the quality with which the trainer/coaches guide this process. Additionally, it's recognizing talent and recruiting the right players at the right time for your academy."

Regardless, the ´secret´ of Dutch football isn't actually relevant to most ambitious football academies. The Dutch situation is specific to the Dutch infrastructure, history and culture and is, therefore, simply impossible to copy. However, the process by which a child learns to play football is the same everywhere. It´s like learning how to talk or how to walk. It should therefore be possible to set up, maintain and further develop a high-quality youth academy.

A high-quality youth academy allows a football club to supplement the first team with an inflow of young players with specific and outstanding qualities. This will improve first-team success and save- and make money.

There is a good chance that FAD can help you and your football club or association. Our knowledge, experience and expertise in training, player recruitment, running and building a football academy and coaching at the elite level guarantee valuable and tailor-made advice.

FAD has all the knowledge and skills needed to improve your youth training.