Feyenoord Academy (Varkenoord)

Feyenoord Academy

Full name	Feyenoord Academy
Ground	Sportcomplex Varkenoord Rotterdam
Ground Capacity	3.531
Academy Director	Richard Grootscholten
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Feyenoord Academy, often referred to as Varkenoord, is the youth academy of the professional football club Feyenoord located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Feyenoord Academy received the official regional youth academy status from the KNVB and is located at Sportcomplex Varkenoord.

Feyenoord Academy has been voted as the best developmental system in the Netherlands, winning the Rinus Michels Award for best youth academy five years in a row since 2009. No other academy produced more players for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where eleven former Feyenoord Academy players were active.^[1] In May 2010, Feyenoord Academy won the Rinus Michels Award for the first time. Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam were the other nominees. Feyenoord Academy won the award for its innovation within the academy, the overall success of its teams in the national youth leagues and the high amount of players in the national youth teams.^[2]

Structure

Feyenoord Academy was officially founded in the summer of 2010, when the youth academies of Feyenoord and Excelsior merged. The newly formed academy received the official regional youth academy status from the KNVB and was based on the structure of the former Feyenoord youth academy, with the addition of various Excelsior youth players and staff members. Feyenoord's poor financial situation, the rise in transfer fees and the increase in value of young players signaled a further need for Feyenoord and Excelsior to further support the academy. The cooperation between Feyenoord and Exelsior was terminated as of July 2015, where the academy continued solely as Feyenoord's youth academy.^[3] The goal of the Feyenoord Academy is to develop young players into professional football players for Feyenoord's first team squad.^[4]

The Feyenoord Academy comprises age-group teams ranging from U8's up to the flagship U19's. The youngest players are scouted at amateur clubs in the direct surroundings of Rotterdam. For the age of twelve and older the academy extends its scouting area, mainly to the remaining part of the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. Until the U12 team, the players only have training sessions during the evening and are largely guided by part-time coaches. When players are ready to join secondary education they start training during daytime. A close partnership with LOOT-school Thorbecke allows Feyenoord Academy to offer players a full-time training program, while the school adapts its time table to the players training program.^[4]

Teams and players

Reserves

The Feyenoord Reserves play under the name Jong Feyenoord in the Beloften Eredivisie. The team plays its home matches at Varkenoord. As of the season 2010–11, the reserve team was officially disbanded, but kept participating in the Beloften Eredivisie without a permanent squad. The formation varies and consists of reserve players from Feyenoord's first team squad, with the possible addition of emerging academy players. The players train with their own teams, without having the chance to actually train together. On match days the team is coached by Jan Wouters and Roy Makaay.^[5]

Feyenoord U19

The final team of the Feyenoord Academy is Feyenoord/Excelsior U19, previously known as Feyenoord/Excelsior A1.^[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Jordie van Leeuwen GK Wouter Beukers DF Lutsharel Geertruida DF Davy Kaptein DF Noah Lewis DF Tyrell Malacia DF Boyd Reith DF Ian Smeulers MF Achraf el Bouchataoui MF Niels Butter

No. Position Player MF Rodney Huijgen MF Orkun Kökçü MF Niels van Wetten MF Jordy Wehrmann FW Alex Bangura FW Cheick Toure FW Jaron Vicario FW Dylan Vente FW Joshua Zirkzee FW Joël Zwarts

Feyenoord U18

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Elber Evora GK Rik Schippers DF Edon Fetahi DF Hidde van den Ende DF Simon Loshi DF Leon-Cardi Wong-Si-Kwie DF Lynden Leidsman MF Benjamin Reemst MF Dominykas Kubilinskas MF Jeremy van Mullem

No. Position Player MF Teun Heijberg MF Xander Buitenhek MF Mohamed Choukhoud FW Nelson Amadin FW Ricardo Fernandes Pereira FW Ridouan Kasrioui FW Lion Kalentjev FW Delpiero Reboe FW Roscello Vlijter

Feyenoord U17

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Joey Koorevaar GK Thijs Jansen DF Melayro Bogarde DF Jay den Haan DF Ramon Hendriks DF Quilindschy Hartman DF Denzel Hall MF Ezra Hoogenboom MF Mohamed el Karbachi

No. Position Player MF Wouter Burger MF Ömer Gündüz MF Splinter de Mooij MF Daniël van Leeuwen FW Marouan Azarkan FW Naoufal Bannis FW Toshio Lake FW Crysencio Summerville FW Ravi Yates

Feyenoord U16

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Rutger Bax GK Devin Remie DF Tom Brugman DF Enrique van der Lubbe DF Steven van der Sloot DF Twan van der Zeeuw DF Robyn Esajas MF Stan Maas MF Noah Naujoks

No. Position Player MF Aime Omgba MF Sem Valk MF Sven Zitman MF Rychaintelo Knoll FW Jordy Axt FW Abdel Belarbi FW Zenya Deurloo FW Jorule Raphaela FW Malik Dijksteel

Feyenoord U15

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Sam Pak GK Deon Bontje DF Guus Baars DF Lennard Hartjes DF Corné van Houwelingen DF Denzel Owusu DF Joris Rijnja DF Morgan Zouan DF Kars van Veldhoven MF Milan Hokke MF Max Christoffel

No. Position Player MF Shiloh 't Zand MF Tyrell Tearr MF Dylan Veenvliet MF Max Papounidi MF Joci Chantre FW Saladin Oulad M'hand FW Giuliany Ben-David dos Santos FW Mimeirhel Benita FW Kai Bodo FW Bienvenue Matabaro FW Lateef Omidiji Jr.

Academy graduates in first team squad

Name Age Pos Season Ramon ten Hove 7003710700000000000♠19 years, 167 days GK 2017–18 Mats Knoester 7003721100000000000♠19 years, 271 days DF 2017–18 Bert Koomen 7003753100000000000♠20 years, 226 days DF 2016–17 Gustavo Hamer 7003735900000000000♠20 years, 54 days MF 2016–17 Emil Hansson 7003700300000000000♠19 years, 63 days MF 2016–17 Justin Bijlow 7003714700000000000♠19 years, 207 days GK 2016–17 Mohamed El Hankouri 7003735200000000000♠20 years, 47 days MF 2016–17 Jari Schuurman 7003748100000000000♠20 years, 176 days MF 2015–16 Bart Nieuwkoop 7003783300000000000♠21 years, 163 days MF 2015–16 Sven van Beek 7003842100000000000♠23 years, 20 days DF 2012–13 Jean-Paul Boëtius 7003854900000000000♠23 years, 148 days FW 2012–13 Tonny Vilhena 7003826200000000000♠22 years, 226 days MF 2011–12 Miquel Nelom 7003982600000000000♠26 years, 329 days DF 2009–10

Academy graduates out on loan

Name Age Pos Season Club Calvin Verdonk 7003741800000000000♠20 years, 113 days DF 2014–15 N.E.C. Nijmegen (until July 2018) Faris Hammouti 7003751300000000000♠20 years, 208 days DF 2016–17 Almere City (until July 2018)

Notable former players

The following is a list of players who have played in the Feyenoord Academy and represented a country at full international level. Players who are currently playing at Feyenoord are highlighted in bold.

Honours

• Rinus Michels Award: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014^[2][7]

References

External links

• Feyenoord Academy official website (in Dutch)