Watch
YouTube Video of the Trip to Holland 2011..........CLICK
The
2011 Spring trip to Holland was special because the weather was special -
sunshine and mid 50's were standard weather conditions for the majority of the
trip. Very unusual where cold, wind and rain are more the norm - obviously no
one complained. Our group of 16 travellers enjoyed a wonderful balance of
soccer and culture, gaining invaluable experience and memories that will last
for many years to come. We were on the go from touch-down to take-off, with
always some other place to go or something else to see or do - never a dull
moment!
Our young players stayed the first 4 days with Dutch families,
mostly those with Dutch players coming to St. Louis this summer or who had
previously been to St. Louis in summers past. The remainder of the trip we all
stayed together in the village of Groesbeek, in the western part of the
Netherlands, within a stone's throw of Germany in a comfortable Dutch
Hotel/Restaurant (de Oude Molen - the Old Mill).
From the soccer perspective, we visited 4 professional clubs - 3 in
Holland (Ajax, NEC Nijmegen and Feyernoord of Rotterdam) and 1 in Germany (FC
Schalke 04). At each site we managed to visit the stadium - took tours in 3 of
the 4 - bought items from the Fan shop and watched training of either the First
team or Youth teams, in some cases, both. We attended a Professional game in
Nijmegen, NEC vs De Graafschap, a derby game of 2 mid-table teams, saw youth
games of Ajax and NEC and talked with coaches when and where we could find
them. Our group of players intermixed with the local players from the various
local teams in the areas that we visited, and trained and played games with and
against them. Another great experience! In the village of Groesbeek (population
18,000) they have 6 local youth clubs!!
What did we learn from the
soccer experience? Great facilities - every place we went had facilities that
we, in the US, would love to have, but we don't - not even close!! They put a
very high value on good facilities, it leads to a good product. A meaningful,
well-planned soccer education program - players learn and are trained in
age-appropriate ways - winning is very secondary to proper development --
winning becomes more important around age 14, up to then it's all about
learning the right way to play. Technique, speed of play, applying pressure, a
good attitude focused on always being mentally in the moment, high intensity in
training, always wanting to score goals, and most importantly - being able to
think and play successfully UNDER PRESSURE!! We were very fortunate to have our
players trained by some of the top Dutch coaches in the area, and they coached
them in the Dutch way - quite different from our way - more demanding and
always with attention to detail. The coaches on the trip were able to interact
with the Dutch coaches and 'pick their soccer brains'.
We watched games
from U 10 through the professionals and the best game we saw was the NEC U 10's
-- we watched them train on Friday and play on Saturday and we were all
impressed by the level of play and the maturity of their play - a direct
reflection of their training and the coaching approach.
From the
cultural perspective, there are many highlights. The amount of people that
travel by bicycle is 'off the charts' - nothing deters them from getting to
their destination by bike - not weather, nor time of day or night. All ages,
men and women, working people and students, in heels and holding umbrellas -
they can manage it all while they travel by bike.
We spent a half day in
a Dutch bi-lingual school, where we observed a science and math class and
participated in a language class and then played that class in a 5 a side game
of soccer in the school gym. That was very special and the players enjoyed it
immensely.
Our travels took us from Groesbeek/Nijmegen/Arnhem area to
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Ermelo, Lent, Kinderdijk in Holland and Gelsenkirchen in
Germany. Kinderdijk was very different, a tiny quaint village in the old Dutch
way with 19 windmills along a canal - very scenic, historic and unique. We
spent 2 days in Amsterdam - one at the Ajax complex and the other in downtown
Amsterdam where we took a very informative canal cruise and did some shopping,
and a lot of people watching. You may never see more volume of people anywhere
than you will in Downtown Amsterdam. It is mesmerizizng!
We found the
Dutch people to be very accommodating, and they want to know about America. The
Dutch way of living is different from living in America and our group began to
appreciate that as time went on. Holland is a very densely populated country -
16 million people in an area about the size of the state of Missouri - with
cities, villages and farmland, some even below sea level. The Dutch are a hardy
and robust people, with a very active lifestyle and a real sense of reality.
They speak their mind and they welcome your opinion.
Watch
YouTube Video of the Trip to Holland 2011..........CLICK
Dutch Class
goes Dutchtouch This is a class in Holland that we visited on the
2011 trip
Holland Trip 2012 March
14 - March 25
An open invitation is being extended to anyone interested in joining
us on our 2012 Spring Trip to Holland - the dates are March 14 - March 25,
2012. We have reserved 30 airline tickets and a $100 deposit is required to
reserve your seat on the plane. We have the basic itinerary completed and the
trip will once again balance cultural exchange with soccer. This will be our
5th trip over and every trip seems to be better than the previous one. As
always, the cost of the trip will be all-inclusive ---- air, land, food,
lodging, transportation and admissions !!
If you are interested in
joining us, please contact Terry Michler at michlert@cbchs.org for more information.
Once we receive your $100 deposit, your seat is reserved for the
flight.
Dutch Touch
returns to the land of tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, bicycles ….. and,
oh yes, some very good soccer as well. A total of 38 people will depart St.
Louis on March 24, 2010 for an educational (soccer and life) trip to the
Netherlands. The trip last spring ('09) was very successful, and the
anticipation and enthusiasm is building for the 2010 trip. Once again we have
an exciting, busy itinerary planned that includes a nice balance of soccer,
sightseeing and cultural exchange. As we experienced last spring, Holland is a
country with a strong historical past combined with a free-spirited present.
We will also have the opportunity to reunite with our 'Dutchies' from
the previous 3 summer camps, when they came to St. Louis to train with our
local players. The players will join together for training and games, and also
compete against each other as we will play their local teams. In addition, the
plans include a stay with the SKV Club in Wageningen. The second part of the
trip the players will be housed with Dutch families and even attend a day of
school in the local Dutch school. A full day is scheduled in historic Amsterdam
with a visit to the famous Ajax Amsterdam grounds to watch a practice, tour the
Amsterdam Arena, visit the Ajax Museum and go crazy in the Gift Shop.
Soccer Game 4/28/2010 ~ Holland-Wageningen
We will attend 2 professional games of the Dutch
Eredivisie, one in Amsterdam (Ajax) and one in Arnhem (Vitesse). Sounds
exciting and challenging!! The group will return to St. Louis on April 3 with a
lifetime of memories.
Jan Pruijn will handle all the planning in Holland
and the group will be trained by Harry Jansen and Theo Derks, both fully
licensed Dutch FA coaches
The plans are in place for the 2010
International Summer Camp to be held at CBC High School from July 18 - 23,
2010. With enrollment limited and interest sky high, applications will fill
quickly. If you are interested in attending, please visit www.cbcdutchtouch.com
and click on Camps to get more information and an application form.
TESTIMONIALS - Holland Trip
‘10 Thank you for putting
together the Netherlands' Trip as Donna and Nathan have done nothing but talked
about it since they have been back. I heard weather was pretty cooperative this
time which made the trip that much nicer. Based on what they have said, it
sounds like it was a marvelous trip and a great experience.
Thank you
for inviting Nathan on the trip. Nathan and I both had a wonderful time. We
appreciate the hard work and organizing that both yourself, and those in
Holland did in preparation for our visit. We appreciate the other coaches and
Marc for his assistance to us all. The cultural exchange was wonderful. We were
amazed by the differences in both the Dutch culture and the enthusiasm for
soccer, especially at the professional games. We really enjoyed the other kids
and families both from St. Louis/Bermuda and those from Holland. It was a great
trip and we consider everyone in the group our new friends. First off
thank you for inviting C.J. and supervising him during his "Dutch-Touch" trip
to the Nederlands. He has told his mom and me that the trip was "awesome" and
this Dutch trip has enriched his "futbol" passion. Hopefully it will be seen in
the near future on the field. I want to start off by saying
thanks to all of you for allowing me to be part of the trip. The trip
accomplished all of my objectives which were to grow as a coach by observing
youth training in Holland and to have a good time with fun nice people.
Yes. Good
times. Except James re-aggrevated his groin on the 3rd day and that slowed him
down a bit --- but as I said he LOVED Holland and wants to go to school
there... I would like to thank you for everything that you did to put this
trip together for us, and for including us. It was a great experience. Your
leadership off the field, to smile and be there through the many exhausting
events, was as impressive as your leadership on the field, thank you for
sharing that with us as well. Lester had a great time staying with Frank and
his family and has extended the offer to them to stay with us if they are
interested next summer. They have expressed that they may send Frank and his
younger brother Ohno. His Dad is thinking about if he will come along as well.
Lester and Frank are continuing to communicate via email several times already
since we left, how the internet can help these experiences to mean a little
more, by allowing them to continue their new relationship. We would love to
host them. My kids are still floating
on air. We all has such a wonderful experience. Thank you so much. Most
definitely... We'd love to have the Dutchies back. We already told Tom he was
welcome...and Gudo as well if he comes. Just let us know.
Brett Gregory’s Soccer Trip to Holland
with Ajax Cape Town
Brett Gregory is staff
member of CBC dutchtouch and was offered a trip to Holland by Jan Pruijn as a
trial for a possible professional career. Brett has helped at the International
camps in St.Louis and went on our spring trip to Holland last March. It was
during the spring trip that Brett was able to train with Dutch teams –
first a local amateur team and then with the professional team of NEC Nijmegen
of the Dutch First Division (Eredivisie). Brett did very well in the training
sessions and Jan invited him to join the Ajax Cape Town team as it participated
in 2 different tournaments in Holland against professional and amateur teams
from different countries. Brett started each game and played the full game with
just one exception where he was subbed out at halftime in a 5-0 win. Brett has
sent his trip diary and in it are some very good points he makes about the
level of play and the differences he experienced in the speed of play and the
quality of play. Also, a few pictures from the tournaments ( Brett wears the #4
shirt for Ajax(sometimes in Blue uniform) and is around the ball in these pics)
In the team picture, Brett is in the standing row, 3rd player, next to the
keeper, as you look from left to right Nine Day Trip Itinerary...........PDF
TESTIMONIALS - Holland Trip
‘09 Recap from Trip '09 » click Dave and I
really appreciate this opportunity that you gave our son.
Jackie
Hi Terry, Thanks bunches for taking Mara she had a
wonderful time and said it was the experience of a life time.
Terry, I just wanted to thank you for the chance to go to Holland
with the group, it was a life changing experience for me. The training was
first class and made me realize that maybe I could make it. I spoke with Jan
today and we are setting something up for South Africa.
Thank
you again!!! Brett Gregory
Hey Terry, thanks for everything!
Tyler and Peg had a great time even after all of his issues. We would be
interested in going back believe it or not if asked again. Flying directly into
Amsterdam sounds like a winner. Thanks again for all you did to provide a
memorable experience for them both.
BigSmoke (Chuck Womack)
We had a great time!
Thanks
again - Laura
Thanks again for all the work you put in on the trip to
Holland, Jake had the time of his life, Again thanks a lot on the memories I'm
sure Jake will remember forever!!
