A group of eleven enthusiastic Korean children walked around training ground de Toekomst and the Johan Cruijff ArenA in late November. Accompanied by programme managers from Korea Football Association (KFA), the 12-year-olds had the weekend of their lives. To top it off, they played a mutual practice match with their Ajax peers on Monday 28 November.
The Korean youth visit was another chapter in the excellent mutual relationship between Ajax and the KFA. Previously, a delegation of Ajacieden, including CEO Edwin van der Sar, visited South Korea. In return, a Korean management delegation visited Amsterdam this autumn.
The children who came to the Netherlands last weekend are part of the Golden Eleven programme; a comprehensive screening and training method of the Korean Football Association. The children were selected at various Korean clubs by the KFA. The programme is based on international methodologies.
The programme in Amsterdam
The Korean youth arrived in Amsterdam on Thursday evening. A day later, the programme really kicked off for the eleven children.
On arrival at De Toekomst, the children were given a goodie bag and a tour of the sports complex followed. The day ended with a training session. On Saturday, the group first visited the Johan Cruijff ArenA. There, they were given a tour of the Ajax stadium. They then left for De Toekomst again to watch matches of the Ajax youth teams, including the highlight between Ajax O18 and PSV O18. On all other days, training resumed at de Toekomst.
A special moment also followed for the KFA programme managers: they had the opportunity to meet Gerald Vanenburg. The Ajax technical staff member attended another training session of the Korean youth group.
New friends
The final game of the weekend was the Korean youth practice match against the Ajax youth team. Before their match, the eleven children watched South Korea's World Cup match against Ghana with their programme managers. Because they spent so much time at the Ajax youth and training complex, the Korean children made many new friends in Amsterdam.
