A Good Nest

NY Times magazine has an article (link here) about the Ajax soccer club in Amsterdam, and their system of developing soccer players. Volunteer scouts observe youth games, going to the matches of boys as young as five. If the player generates enough interest, an Ajax scout will go watch, and for a lucky few, an invitation will be extended to train with the club. Once in the club, each boy's performance is rigorously evaluated, and he is competes against fellow players to keep his spot for the next year.

Below, the author is observing a game with one of the volunteer scouts, Ronald de Jong. They're watching Délano, five years old and pictured above.

De Jong kept up a running commentary as we watched, becoming increasingly excited. As Délano cleverly dribbled around a bigger boy who came charging at him: “You see, they will try to physically dominate him, but he will always seek a football solution. He always has a plan.” As the concentration of other boys drifted: “He is not looking at planes in the sky; he is looking at the ball.” At halftime, as Délano conferred with his father, who was coaching his team: “You see how nicely they are talking? You can tell he comes from a good nest.” Later, after Délano weaved through three boys and blistered a shot just wide of the goal: “This is unbelievable! At this age, I’ve never seen a player like this!”

One of the points made in the article is how many fewer games the Ajax youth play compared to their American counterparts. Mention is made of maintaining a family life and having time to play. I love that family is considered a priority. I thought it was very telling that de Jong notes that the five year old comes from a "good nest."