AFC AJAX

When a guy a couple of weeks shy of his 21st birthday goes to Amsterdam for a few days, the number one, two and possibly three on his ‘to do’ list would be pretty unanimous. 

But I have sadly always been a bit different! Because when I found myself at some ridiculous early hour at Southend Airport, I was not with the lads for a stag style weekend, but on my own with a rather different adventure ahead of me. My destination was "De Toekomst" ("The Future"), the home of AFC Ajax and the breeding ground of Cruyff, Bergkamp,  Van Basten, Kluivert, Seedorf, Sneijder, Van der Sar, Van der Vaart et al.

I had worked hard to arrange a number of visits during December and January to various academies and other sporting institutions both in Europe and at home and this was the first.

Excited would be a massive understatement. Despite not wishing to be disappointed, I could not contain the high expectations I had for this trip.  As you would expect of an undergraduate at one of the UK’s leading Universities, I had done my research. The internet was awash of articles acknowledging Ajax's worldwide recognition and reputation for being one of the best, if not THE best footballing academy in terms of producing stars of the future. It was regularly mentioned in the same breathe as La Masia in Barcelona. The recently published European Club Associations (ECA) report on youth academies in Europe also showcased “De Toekomst” and highlighted its importance in producing players of the highest pedigree. This was particularly important for AFC Ajax as they have no ‘billionaire’ backing and indeed hardly any transfer kitty at all. The philosophy was produce, sell and produce some more rather than buy.

Here then, is my Ajax story....

I arrived to a warm greeting from Eddie van Schaick and Patrick Oudejans, the duo that would provide me with a fantastic insight into the Ajax Academy philosophies, practices and methodologies over the forthcoming 3 days.  The young English lad had a lot of questions and both Eddie and Patrick were always willing to speak. I started at the beginning.

I learnt that the Club's three main objectives are as follows: 

1. To maintain a healthy financial situation considering they spend €6 million per year on their Academy.

2. Each year to produce one or two U19 players to play in the first team - the remainder of that squad would play in the reserves where they are given two years to break into the first team as the  next age group of players would then be knocking on the door. If unsuccessful, players are released to lower level clubs, where their education at Ajax would prove invaluable in securing those opportunities. 

3. 70% of the first team need to be academy produced players.

Next, we moved on to The Scouting Process:

Ronald De Jong, Ajax's chief scout, renowned for identifying some of the best talent that has been brought into the academy and subsequently sold on for millions of euros divulged the scouting process. He explained that AFC Ajax invests and networks with the surrounding amateur clubs within Amsterdam granting them access to the Ajax Online Academy Training Program. This means that all players are coached the same way as those in the academy, making talent easily identifiable and making the transition from amateur club to Ajax Academy an easy one, with very little difference in the style of play.

So with amateur teams replicating a style of play that the academy preaches, what do they look for from the players? Here, an acronym is used to identify the potential stars of the future; TIPS (Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed). Alongside these factors, Ronald also emphasised the importance of "happy playing", fundamental movement patterns, creativity, agility and players running lightly on their forefeet with the ability to use both feet in a minimum of three positions on the field. Specifically, they seek left footed/sided players who play the number 4,5 and 8 positions as these tend to be more creative. During this process, it is deemed unimportant, according to the Ajax philosophy, if a player scores the most goals during a game or if a player is the most physical. When invited to join the Ajax Academy, each player is given at least two years to adapt/improve, therefore giving every player that enters a fair chance.

I was amazed to discover that within the scouting process a player's month of birth is also taken into consideration for physicality reasons and stages of development. For example, a player born in January is likely to have eleven months’ worth of development ahead of a player born in December from the same year. Therefore, players born towards the latter half of the year are likely to develop at a slower rate. They believe they have very powerful statistics that prove very few late developers born in the final quarter of the year make it to the top level of football, something that AFC Ajax recognise and look to address, thus increasing their talent pool.

We moved onto the academy and here I was in for another shock. To date I have never witnessed the ‘business’ side of the game always having worked in the rather genial world of local club and university football. But that was about to change as I learned of the harsh realities of a professional academy.

Each season new players may come into the academy via a strict replacement policy. For example, if during the scouting process a player is discovered who possesses greater ability than current squad players at the academy, then the weakest player will be released. Prior to their release the player will receive a report containing strengths and areas for improvement for them to improve upon before being re-assessed in four months’ time. From here players may be re-accepted into the academy or declined a position, depending on the significance in improvement.

Many, many aspects of the academy left me in awe as I spent considerable time watching the various age groups train.

One such aspect was that within the academy every team trains in view of the first team squad as well as the Amsterdam arena (AFC Ajax's home stadium), which acts as a motivational and aspirational tool for all of its players. To ensure that players are always training/playing to their maximum potential, numerous cameras surround the training pitches and monitor player performance, providing data analysis to the Adidas 'micoach' test centre with its state of the art laboratory and equipment. For example, player training intensity, speed, power, tactical positioning and distance covered during training and games can all be monitored, thus aiding injury prevention.

Another aspect I found fascinating was their strength and conditioning programme. I was surprised as to the young age this was introduced. The content included a good amount of martial arts training too which particularly appealed to the Karate Dan in me. Discipline and posture are clearly important at the academy. Ajax clearly believe that their strength and conditioning work significantly contributes to good footwork, coordination, balance and confidence.

Something else that I hadn’t considered in great depth during my coaching career to date, but what my time at Ajax opened my eyes to, was that players at the age of 12, 14 and 16 are likely to go through growth spurts which may hinder their ability levels. Technically speaking, players may struggle during their pubescent and adolescent stages of development but the club takes this into consideration and refuses to release players during this time based on past experience where players have improved considerably when this spurt is over. As players begin to exit their growth spurts, coaches look to re-engage the player technically, physically and mentally, describing this process as 'building the machine'.

Furthermore, players can become disheartened and vulnerable during these phases and so coaches are suitably assigned to certain age groups based upon their personality type, another minor attention to detail that has vast beneficial implications. For example, the coaches of the U12, U14 and U16 academy sides tend to be more tranquil, with the more intense coaches occupying younger age groups. Regardless of the age group and coach personality type, another recurring theme is that all coaches communicate very little on the sideline during matches as game objectives are always very clear and there is great understanding between all players and coaches.

The academy facilities are surely second to none. With 3G artificial and turf pitches, the Academy also possess many other facilities that replicate those of other sports such as basketball, tennis and athletics to better coach technique and carry out further tests such as speed, agility, power and strength.

I consider myself very fortunate to have experienced this at first hand. A privilege that is not afforded to the students nearest and dearest as the academy has a 'no parents' rule at training sessions to ensure that players are free from external pressures and influences. Instead they have a clear mind to experiment and demonstrate creativity in an environment without fear of failure.

Eddie and Patrick were keen to highlight the uniformity across the various teams. Right across the academy and within each team the emphasis is placed firmly on development over winning by the coaches, encouraging creativity, audacity and individual decision making wherever possible. In doing so, coaches are required to be as efficient as possible, providing maximum playing time in training sessions where enjoyment is the main priority; ensuring players are open to learning, whilst simultaneously removing the players from their comfort zone in order to take calculated risks. To maximise each player's development, positions are rotated from game to game (goalkeeper exempt), preventing players from becoming one dimensional and instead producing talent capable of playing a multiplicity of roles at the highest level.

Whilst the academy sides will 'try' to win every game, regardless of the result, each side is encouraged to and 'will' play the same way according to the club's philosophy; an expression termed 'total football'. This is described as a style of play that involves short intricate passing accompanied with clever movement that produces an end product considered 'art' by adoring spectators. It is perceived footballing entertainment of the highest order, appearing effortless to even the trained eye with breath-taking moments of pure brilliance and finesse, often referred to as "the beautiful game".

Academy teams consist of small numbers of players as they believe this heightens the intensity during training and allows for significantly greater playing time in games with fewer substitutions on the sideline. In turn, this ensures coaches maintain frequent communication regarding player development; and ensuring players with exceptional ability are challenged accordingly by even playing a year or two above their level.

Yet another thing that I found particularly interesting was that all age groups play with a size 5 football, where the only variable is the ball's weight as the teams’ age i.e.  Lighter size 5 footballs for eight year olds in comparison to the regular size 5 football weight for adults. Their reason for this is two-fold: Firstly, this fully prepares players for the professional game, minimising the need for constant adaptation of ball size and secondly, with smaller feet and a bigger ball, the ability for younger players to get their feet underneath the ball to play a technically excellent lofted pass/cross into the penalty area with quality, is far easier than using a size 2, 3 or 4 football, which are typically used in English football.

Whilst I have personally long held the opinion that using a smaller ball can better develop an individual's ball skills, University has taught me to be far more open-minded. Being one of the best footballing academies in the world, considered years ahead in terms of development in comparison to most other footballing nations, the Ajax view has to be respected. Could this innovative approach and attention to detail be one of the factors that differentiate the Dutch from us? And for those who believe we as a nation are further behind than the likes of Holland, Spain and Germany, does our thought process need reviewing sooner rather than later before we fall further behind?

Having witnessed so many things that have earned Ajax it’s enviable reputation, I was keen to discover how this world renowned footballing academy maintains its status amongst the very best?

I was informed by Eddie and Patrick that all of the academy coaches are only offered rolling one year contracts to increase the intensity of the work ethic and prevent them from 'taking it easy'. They believe that if the players are under pressure to improve and maintain their position in the academy, then so should its coaches. Development is a recurring theme. Not only does this create a healthy club atmosphere and a competitive edge against other academies, it demands the very best from everyone. Anyone deemed to be 'sitting back' and 'getting comfortable' are seen to be resting on their laurels and are therefore likely to get released. Instead, fresh ideas are always welcome and never disregarded regardless of your role or position within the club.

My visit was nearing an end but not before a trip to the Amsterdam Arena as a guest of the club for their top of the table clash against PSV Eindhoven. A 52,000 mainly partisan crowd (sheltered from the cold thanks to the closed roof) saw Ajax run out 3-1 winners. I guess it was with some inevitability that all four goalscorers were products of the Ajax academy and no it wasn’t an own goal!

I made copious notes during my visit and have incorporated nearly all of them in this blog. Some words appeared in my observations more than once and I think they speak volumes about De Toekomst. I recorded that it was a happy place, with clear rapport between players and coaches. Enjoyment in the workplace was clear to see. A family spirit was evident everywhere. It truly is a special place.

Thank you Ajax.