Football Wonderkid Scout

 Former Ajax graduate Wesley Sneijder

some of Europe's major clubs. There is a two-storey building which houses locker rooms, classrooms, workout facilities and offices for coaches and sport scientists. Within the faciltiies there is a weights room, a gymnasium and a swimming pool for recuperation from injury and a cafe where players are served meals and visitors can enjoy a glass of beer or cappuccino while looking out over the training grounds. The academy which houses 160 youngsters, are looked after by an army of staff which includes world class coaches, several of them former players for the national team, a doctor, dietician, chef, six masseurs, a physiotherapist, three medical assistants and several teachers. Education is an important factor in a players development and great importance is placed on the youngsters spending sufficient time in the classroom and if they fail to make the grades, then they run the risk of missing games or even being chucked out of the academy altogether. When spotting talent, Ajax's Ronald de Jong, stated: “I am never looking for a result — for example, which boy is scoring the most goals or even who is running the fastest. That may be because of their size and stage of development. I want to notice how a boy runs. Is he on his forefeet, running lightly? Does he have creativity with the ball? Does he seem that he is really loving the game? I think these things are good at predicting how he’ll be when he is older.” De Jong, a former amateur player, is one of some 60 volunteer scouts who spend weekends watching games involving local amateur clubs. Of the 160 players training at De Toekomst at any given time (from ages 7 to 18), some in each age group are told they cannot return the following year and new prospects are enrolled in their place.

Recent graduates of the famous Ajax academy include the influential Wesley Sneijder, who is a key figure of the Dutch national team. Joining the club at the age of 7, he was transferred at the age of 23 to Real Madrid for a fee of €27 million and he is now starring for Inter Milan, who are the current Italian champions and winner of this year's Champions League. Then there is the precociously talented Rafael Van der Vaart who was sold to Bundesliga outfit Hamburg for €5.5 million after suffering from a string of injuries. The Ajax system is not without its critics because some assume that it is no longer turning out top talent as they are are no longer a competitive force in Europe and does not finish first in the Eredivisie. However, if all of those who trained at De Toekomst now playing elsewehere were to return, then they would be able to compete with any club in the world. Other alumni of recent years include Ryan Babel, John Heiting and Nigel de Jong. Indeed the Ajax academy system is not without fault and sometimes sends away the wrong players and only a small percentage of its youngsters become elite players. Teams which are compare to Ajax success in youth development include Barcelona, where Johan Cruyff played after leaving Ajax and then coached for eight seasons. In the current Ajax side, Gregory van der Wiel is widely assumed to be the next wonderkid who will command a big money move. Though van der Wiel, who is now 22, was sent away from the Ajax academy at the age of 14 due to a poor attitude. He was then invited back after spending three years in the academy of another Dutch football club. Other players of note include Denmark's Christian Eriksen who has already attracted the attention of some of Europe's major clubs and young defender Daley Blind. Since winning the Champions League in 1995, Ajax have actively tried to recruit up and coming players who they hope can be nurtured and continue their football education in Holland and sold on for a profit, such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who was purchased from Heerenveen.