During trip to Rotterdam found out a few things about it. What do Feyenoord fans think of the academy. Apparently a product was with you briefly last year, but didn't make it. Some players produced from the academy play in Belgium and there are hopes for a player playing in African Champions League in Ivory Coast this season.

How long has the academy been going? It was the brainchild of Jorien van den Herik I think. What do Feyenoord fans think of the academy? Has the club explained its purpose and timescale of expected arrival of talent to you? Do any other Dutch clubs have academies in Africa? Why/why not? What happened to Ajax's academy? Do you have satellite clubs in Africa? There is a South African team Forunata, or something like that. Do any of you know anything about it, or the team in Ivory Coast which is a team in Abidjan I think? Anyone know the name of that team?Also you have a product of the academy playing in Greece. Do you know if the players in Belgium and Greece were sold or released? What do you want and expect from the academy?

How do fans of other Dutch teams view Feyenoord's academy in Ghana? Do any other Dutch teams have plans for academies?

I think the academy in Ghana is a good idea. Doesn't cost us that much, just needs to produce a bit more. By the way until last season the Academy team played in the highest Ghana League.

More info.

http://www.2teams1goal.com/

(they hardly update the site, but it gives a good idea of how we work together with Unicef overthere*)

We also have partnerships with Supersport Untied (South-Africa, some kind of cooperation deal) a few clubs/academies in Brazil. Also lots old players still work for us as agents/scouts in their countries.

Think the cooperation deals with clubs make most sense, we sould help them to improve their own academy and fund them, etc. & in return we could get first rights on 1 or 2 players a season (or all).

Wouldn't mind if we started similar cooperations with smaller clubs in good football nations. For example a Jozef Kiprich (Hungary & Feyenoord legend) academy in Tatabanya makes sense.

* By the way Jeppe Curth, the Feyenoord Rotterdam academy player who went there, a little later stopped football & wanted to concentrate on other (to him) more important things in life. Feyenoord thought it was good for the (spoilt) youngsters at our own academy to see how fortunate they were. In Curth's case it backfired. Pity he was very very talented (also smart).

Jeppe curth didnt stop playing football. he plays in denmark and after a hard time he has realised some of his potenial this season and has been a top goal scorer. he also described his stay in holland as really bad because he said he was a mommas boy from denmark where the mentallity is very different and it is more of a family atmosphere unlike holland where he said he got scared of how ruthless some of the players were he was competing with.

Thanx for the update, good he's doing fine (was worried he would do a Lars Elstrup). Read an interview made with him just after he decided to leave. Sounded like he wanted to quit football, and talked about a lot of other things (especially Africa). Sounded a bit mentally unstable... With the right mind-set he can go far.

Impression I got was that Feyenoord view it as a good cause that is helping Africans in need and if they get a player or two out of it as well, then that's great.

De Guzman wrote:Thanx for the update, good he's doing fine (was worried he would do a Lars Elstrup). Read an interview made with him just after he decided to leave. Sounded like he wanted to quit football, and talked about a lot of other things (especially Africa). Sounded a bit mentally unstable... With the right mind-set he can go far.

Often here in denmark we go after the players because they cant settle in other countries where football is bread and butter because in denmark everything is like a family enviroment so you wouldnt see players injuring other players to get their spot and this is what he experienced and what many danish players cant get over.

supermadrid wrote:

De Guzman wrote:Thanx for the update, good he's doing fine (was worried he would do a Lars Elstrup). Read an interview made with him just after he decided to leave. Sounded like he wanted to quit football, and talked about a lot of other things (especially Africa). Sounded a bit mentally unstable... With the right mind-set he can go far.

Often here in denmark we go after the players because they cant settle in other countries where football is bread and butter because in denmark everything is like a family enviroment so you wouldnt see players injuring other players to get their spot and this is what he experienced and what many danish players cant get over.

That does hardly happen here too. I'm sure the attitude (Dutch, and people from Rotterdam even more, are very direct, we say what we think, no understatements) & training/competition is tougher (but that's needed to create players like van persie, kalou & de guzman). But if you intentionally injure somebody, you'll get punished for it (there are loads of trainers around the pitch it would get noticed). Can only remember 1 incident more than a decade ago.

I read a good article about Jeppe this week, Bosschaart and a few others bullied him a lot so he hadnt had the greatest time here.

Poor Jeppe.

Fey wrote:I read a good article about Jeppe this week, Bosschaart and a few others bullied him a lot so he hadnt had the greatest time here.

Poor Jeppe.

Danish players shouldnt go to holland because they tend to fail. exception is gronkjær and tomasson. they cant cut it there even when their talent is good enough.

What!! Danish players belong to our favourite import players!!

Laudrup, Perez and zillions more.

Fey wrote:What!! Danish players belong to our favourite import players!!

Laudrup, Perez and zillions more.

how could i forget perez. also i was mostly refering to the younger players. i have heard of a fair few who have gone to holland at young age and they cant cut it. in generel Denmark has taken alot from holland esp under morten olsen who has based his tactic on the dutch style and later shaped the hole youth system to look like the dutch!

Lerby Arnesen Ivan Nielsen loads of successful ones

De Guzman wrote:Lerby Arnesen Ivan Nielsen loads of successful ones

i actually know i just spoke too soon. its just there have been some good players that were hyped in the media and then they choose holland and it always ends with them coming back sobing or at least in the last couple of years.