Amateur clubs protest KNVB's youth football plans

The largest amateur football clubs in the Netherlands wrote a letter to Dutch football association KNVB in which they protest against the KNVB's plans to completely change youth football in the country. The KNVB's plans will negatively affect over 300 thousand young football players, according to the clubs, the Telegraaf reports.

The association announced in September that youth football in the Netherlands can expect a complete "revolution" within 10 months. The plan is titled "Winners of tomorrow". The amateur clubs feel that they and their opinions were largely ignored in the KNVB's plans. They question the usefullness of changing to new forms of matches and forcing the youth departments of their clubs to play on small fields.

"The communication often heard from the KNVB in recent years - we listen to the clubs - we seriously missed all together on this issue", the letter reads, according to the newspaper. The clubs plead for the KNVB to listen to their many objections. They want to make clear that they feel that implementing the plan in January will be a big mistake. 

The KNVB's plan calls for "giving the game back to the youth" and making football "fun again" for young players. But the amateur clubs worry that the plan will take the fun out of football for the young players. "On many points we see that the quality will move backwards rather than forwards. We believe that young players will start developing only later and may quit sooner."

The letter is signed by, among others, AFC, Alexandria’66, Alphense Boys, Be Quick 1887, BFC, DHC, DSO, OJC Rosmalen, Quick Boys, RKDVC, Spartaan’20, UNA, Westlandia, Xerxes and Zeeburgia.