Picture the scene. You're a young boy who loves football. If you're not playing for one of your two grassroots teams, or your school team, you're out in the park or the streets with your mates, playing any kind of variant of the beautiful game, from headers and volleys to crossbar challenge. When you're confined to the house, the screens are occupied by matches, highlights, or intense FIFA campaigns.
Things have gone very well recently, and you've been informed that PSV would like to have a look at you. You're from the area, so you're already familiar with the excellent De Herdgang facilities, due to PSV's open door policy at their wooded training ground. Yet, no matter how many times you've been there already, you still feel awestruck by the buildings and the pitches. The walls are adorned with living legends who have all worn the famous red and white. From the Brazilian duo of Ronaldo and Romario, to Ruud van Nistelrooy. And this club wants to look at you?
The facilities in Eindhoven are impressive, but not unique. However, they are undeniably cool. It's not the tired clichés, and the corporate smoothness of an airport lounge that can be encountered at so many other training grounds. De Hergang is cool. It simply radiates coolness. They are not ashamed of their colours, and they proudly display the players who have been part of the club's history, even those who the average Joe would think of from their time at other clubs, and not their time at PSV. In this forest, with training pitches that look like a cross between a video game and a Center Parcs, you cannot feel the threat of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or Liverpool. Everything is PSV. And now you could be too.
So, wat is jou droom? Do you want to be a professional footballer? Well, you're in the right place. 70% of the U18s at PSV will have a career in professional football. It is their goal that every academy player will play pro football somewhere. Mum and dad are excited. Parents are always tentative in these situations, teetering between wanting their child to continue their education and not have their dreams crushed by this harsh, unforgiving industry, while also themselves harbouring dreams of Champions League nights at the Philips Stadion.
The Dutch are known for being straight to the point, yet the skill at PSV is that this directness is coupled with compassion. They won't sugar-coat things, but they do care. It is precisely because they care that they won't sugar-coat things. They're all too aware in Eindhoven that kids are sold the dream by football clubs, coaches, and scouts, the world over. And from my ventures around the globe, I have not yet encountered a football culture that is immune to the money-grabification of youth sports. It's only that places differ in the level of their infection. There is a sense of realism that permeates the stylish walls at the PSV campus. And from that realism comes confidence, because confidence is based on proof, while overconfidence is based on delusion.
Do you have to be deluded to make it as a professional footballer? The confidence that can be felt at PSV from the staff comes from the proof. That pudding is there for all of the guests at the PSV Interest Days and the PSV Coaching Academy to observe. There are no secrets here. They will show you everything, and can justify their tried and tested method with stats.
"Our objective is that two academy players make their first team debut every year." In fact, their target is that 30% of their first team is comprised of homegrown players. The admission was that this target is regularly exceeded, and perhaps should even be raised. Plenty of the world's greatest, past and present, Dutch and other nationalities, have passed through this town of just under 236,000 people. Still the smallest town to ever be crowned European champions. This puts Eindhoven around the same size as Wolverhampton, and just a few apartment blocks larger than my nearest city of Portsmouth (I regularly remark at how similar Eindhoven feels to Portsmouth).
It may be disrespectful to describe this historic, successful club as a "stepping-stone," but Dutch realism prevails, as they know they cannot compete with the financial might of the big five European leagues, and are ultimately acting as a shop window in modern times. They use this to take advantage of their proximity to the big leagues, nestled neatly between France and Germany, and just across the water from England. PSV proudly boasts that they are ranked 7th globally at selling to the ten biggest clubs in world football.
"Throughout the years, PSV established itself as a stepping stone for future world class players like Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Romário, Ronaldo, Phillip Cocu, Boudewijn Zenden, Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel, Park Ji-sung, Georginio Wijnaldum, Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo."
One of the words most frequently used at PSV is "adaptability." Things will always go wrong. There will always be a problem. Being caught off-guard by the unexpected is part of life. What do you do? How do you react? What they're looking for is how you can handle it. Players will be expected to play up and down occasionally, with different players and different sessions. This builds coping mechanisms and resilience, which are required to succeed in the football industry. The staff are known to regularly mess players about by changing training times or altering their schedules. Are you able to just get on with it? Or are you going to complain about it and become a victim?
"We need to clash in order to improve." The reality of the football industry is that you won't get along with everyone. Not every coach will be your cup of tea, and you won't always be theirs. Sometimes, you need to be exposed to things you disagree with, and things you don't like. Academy players can be pushed and challenged in this safe environment. Learn how to deal with these things here, where your mistakes don't matter, and the consequences aren't measured in millions of Euros. They create an environment where players feel safe to step outside of their comfort zone. Nothing is learned or achieved from inside the comfort zone, and if you want to be a professional footballer, you'll likely spend a lot of time outside of it.
"Do you want to be here? Are you going to work hard?" There are thousands of other Dutch kids that want to play for PSV. And as they reach the older age groups, there are thousands of foreign kids to compete with, too. There can be up to 296 academy players under the PSV umbrella. At U19 level, they have a squad of 35. What sets you apart from them? What do you offer that they don't? You may think 35 is a large number for a squad playing 11v11, but they do play several games per week, across different competitions, both domestically and internationally. It's a good number for the schedule demands, with players being pulled up into Jong PSV (the PSV B team, playing in the second division).
The hard work includes two mornings per week, which are devoted entirely to individual training. "We don't believe in teams" we are told. "We mix and switch all the time" hence the need for adaptability. PSV provide a performance climate, with a large individual focus. "We'd rather lose 3-0!" Could you imagine your grassroots coach saying that? We've all heard plenty of coaches and clubs express these sentiments, but do their words and actions align? The PSV U17s had recently lost the cup final to bitter rivals, Feyenoord. Following a 1-1 draw, the team from Rotterdam emerged victorious on penalties. But PSV felt this was more of a win, as none of the players who finished that game were U16 players. Some had been playing up, as they needed a challenge, rather than sandbagging at their own age group every week. And others had been called in to fill the gaps left by U17 players who were with the older age groups.
They had players playing with other age groups for a cup final?! Well, yes, because "It's not about winning, it's about development."
The workload is tough. Add in the deliberate disruptions and the change of schedule (deal with it!). Players will train for around 223 hours per season, and will have around 50 hours of playing time. This is, of course, monitored by the analysts, coaches, physios, and the conditioning coaches. Players also have other football work to manage, developing their speed and strength, while also improving their technical skills and tactical awareness. Players are set challenges via the PSV Skillbox, which is an online tool available to the academy players, showing videos of skills, challenges, and drills, focussing on ball mastery, passing, dribbling, coordination, and shooting. It provides plenty of useful exercises that players can perform at home or in the park. The players are asked to film themselves to assess their strengths and weaknesses. They are encouraged to practice at home or turn up early before training to use one of the vacant pitches. And remember; if you're not doing this, the other kids will be.
PSV encourage working on what they call "street skills" because it develops ball familiarity, and it will have kids getting the ball out and getting some touches at home. Remember, in football, your first love is the ball. Football related homework tasks are also sent to the players, aligning with the club's philosophy and scheme of work at the academy.
Feedback is a vital part of the learning process, with players given access to their games and training sessions, via the academy's server, which hosts all these videos. Players are expected to observe their own performances, and even tag clips, which they will share with their coach. Mentorship makes up a large part of the learning that takes place at PSV, as players are paired up with other kids within the academy. This peer-to-peer dynamic pairs an older player with a younger player, in what they call "double-loop learning." The players are matched for position, but also other aspects of their game, such as personality, experience, or temperament. The younger player has someone like them, a few years older, to model and emulate. They can learn from the successes and failures of the older player, sometimes providing a shortcut. Why learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of others that have already been made? The benefit for the older player is that they develop communication and leadership skills, in addition to working on their analytical skills, having to watch the matches of their partner and provide feedback.
You may wonder how school fits into this. School is taken very seriously. PSV are exceptionally strict regarding schoolwork. The academy has a good relationship with many schools in the area, meaning that there is some flexibility in the schedule. In particular, the older academy kids will train during the day time, during school hours. The school coordinators work with the clubs to help ensure all the required schoolwork is done. And if the players fall behind on their work, or their grades suffer, they will be banned from training.
While PSV have a great record for developing professional footballers, they have to account for several different eventualities. It would be tempting to have the attitude "I'm going to be a footballer, so I don't need school."
What happens if you don't make it as a pro?
What happens if you get injured and your career is cut short?
What happens if you make it as a pro, but don't become wealthy?
What about life after football, when you enter the civilian world again?
Make no mistake, every player is held accountable. There is no amount of goals that could be scored at the weekend that could make up for those bad grades. Nobody, regardless of their ability, is treated differently. Nobody is let off the hook.
How about mum and dad? Where do they fit into all this? We all know that parents can be the bane of the existence of a youth coach. PSV take a different approach. They work with the parents, and ensure that they are fully informed. Just as PSV were open with us guest coaches during our visits, they are equally transparent with parents. At the start of the season, parents are brought into De Herdgang for meetings, where expectations for behaviour are outlined. The parents represent PSV as much as the kids do, hence the need for alignment. Booklets are handed out to parents, explaining the methodology and philosophy, outlining what the players will be working on, while also explaining the necessary rules and consequences. Nobody can complain they've been left in the dark!
Throughout the season, there will be four parent meetings. This is their opportunity to ask questions of the coaches, and be kept up to date with what the child is working on and why. It is hoped that with this information and transparency, coaches can develop relationships with parents too. Nobody needs parents screaming and shouting at the sidelines, especially if it contradicts the coach. However, it is hoped that the comfortable bar and café at the training ground, which oversees the training pitches from a distance, will keep the parents occupied. Especially on those cold, rainy nights. "The door is always open to parents."
Is it hard for players from outside to come into this environment at PSV and succeed? "Yes." The PSV training schedule and the demands placed upon the players can be relentless. Some simply cannot adapt to it. It's not just the schedule they struggle with, but also the level of play. Once you're in at PSV, you're more likely to make it than those who join later. The boys coming in from other clubs at older ages haven't been adequately prepared for life at one of the world's top academies. Ajax, Feyenoord, and AZ Alkmaar are noted as academies where there has been some success at integrating outsiders. But essentially, if you haven't been at PSV for a few years already, you're going to struggle at PSV. They don't train hard enough, and they don't play well enough.
Not only that, but "behaviour is extremely important at PSV." Discipline and attitude are held in high regard. The kids are not seen as the finished article, and nobody is expecting a young boy to have all their ducks in a row. The club is very compassionate and will put a lot of time and effort into their players. But if you're going to cause unnecessary problems, becoming a distraction to yourself and others, and do not show signs this can be rectified, you'll be discarded. The coaches shouldn't be required to drag the effort from you. The PSV academy players present well, confidently shaking hands and greeting us while we observe them. Having excellent Puma kit does help. The players are also not too big and important to carry equipment and put the cones out. PSV use plenty of methods like this to ensure their feet are kept firmly on the ground.
The harsh reality is that football is a ruthless industry. What could be your dream today could be gone tomorrow with the touch of a button. Players can all too easily be viewed as cattle, walking-talking advertising boards for the club's manufacturer and sponsors, with price tags hanging over their heads. The administrators and directors salivating over profit margins, and players discarded when they are viewed as bad investments. Yet somehow, at PSV, it all remains incredibly human. Those in charge are honest, down-to-earth, displaying genuine empathy and concern for the players. The delight they display is authentic, revelling in the success of others, that they have helped to facilitate.
The players aren't treated like numbers, but like humans. The smiles are real, the handshakes and high-fives are real. This isn't some American-style forced-positivity. Remember, the Dutch are blunt. They are realists. They know the odds. They are aware of the consequences. And they know that football is ultimately a results business. What the players want is a chance. PSV provides that. The players get opportunities, they will grow as players and as people, and they know they are being looked at and monitored by not only PSV, but also by Europe's elite.
Now you're in the building, with all this at your disposal, what are you going to do about it?
Check out when the next PSV Interest Day is. They will treat you like family as soon as you walk in the door.
Do you want to learn from some of the best in the business? Consider joining the PSV Coaching Academy.
Comments