Experience of a lifetime for Foundation of Light players in Netherlands

Young footballers from Foundation of Light’s Female Player Pathway were given the opportunity to play and train in the Netherlands during a recent overseas tour.

Players from the Emerging Talent Centre, Player Development Club, and Female Scholarship programmes, ranging from U13s to U18s, took part in a week-long training camp.

The trip allowed players to experience a different football culture by training at a variety of centres, building closer bonds with teammates, and developing confidence while travelling without their parents.

Jan de Hoon, first-team coach of women’s Eredivisie side NAC Breda, joined one of sessions as a guest coach, giving players insight into how teams in a top European league train.

Sides representing Foundation of Light at U14s and U16s played a series of friendly matches to test their skills against a different kind of opposition.

The U14s came away with a win and a draw against OJC Rosmalen and Berghem Sport respectively, while the U16s drew with Berghem but were defeated by Rosmalen.

“It was an experience of a lifetime for them to go away,” said Foundation of Light coach Nick Lander.

“We’ve been working hard over the last couple of years to offer players within the Foundation’s programmes more opportunities to go away. It was fantastic to be able to take our first group abroad during the recent half-term.”

On what the players took from the trip, he added: “It was a really successful trip, where we were able to see the players grow and gel as a group over the course of the week.

“They built new friendships and played some excellent football in closely matched games.

“It was a great opportunity for players to experience a different culture, training with an elite coach in Jan de Hoon, playing against Dutch teams, and even touring PSV Eindhoven’s training ground and stadium.

“As staff, we were really impressed with how the girls represented themselves and the Foundation, and we’re really excited to provide more of these opportunities to players going forward.”