Vietnam and the Netherlands to strengthen ties in football
From 19-28 September 2007, a joint mission of the Dutch organisation Support for Sports (S4S) and the Royal Netherlands Football Assocation will visit…
18/09/2007 00:00:00
From 19-28 September 2007, a joint mission of the Dutch organisation Support for Sports (S4S) and the Royal Netherlands Football Assocation will visit Vietnam. The Dutch football experts are invited by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), which is interested in strengthening the ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands in the area of soccer, with an eye to the further professionalisation of the number 1 sport in Vietnam.
The mission, which is supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, is split in two. The first part consists of a two-day workshop where the Dutch experts and VFF will exchange views on matters such as development of a football policy plan, football management, setting up a competition, training of trainers and coaches and youth football development.
After that, two trainers/coaches, one from the Royal Netherlands Football Association and one from its partner organisation The Magic Bus (India) will provide a 4-day Football for Development” training course in Hanoi for Vietnamese coaches, who can practise their newly acquired skills on the spot during real training sessions and a 4×4 tournament. The training course will then be replicated in Khanh Hoa Province for Vietnamese youth leaders in local projects which are run in cooperation with the Medical Committee Netherlands-Vietnam (MCNV).
SDutch soccer is quite famous in Vietnam and the Netherlands has a lot to offer in this area, both in terms of management and practical skills training. I sincerely hope this mission will lay the ground for closer ties in this field between our countries⬝, says Dutch Ambassador André Haspels, a football enthusiast himself, SThis would also perfectly match our ambition to broaden the scope of our bilateral relations with Vietnam⬝.
The mission follows the visit of former Dutch football player Jan van Halst to Vietnam during the World Championship Football in 2006. Van Halst held a couple of lectures for Vietnamese and Dutch businesses and provided well attended football clinics for Vietnamese coaches and youth teams. This led to initial contacts between S4S, the Royal Netherlands Football Federation and Vietnam Football Federation, who then expressed an interest in bringing in Dutch football expertise.
Decisions on continued cooperation will be taken on the basis of the results of the workshops and training courses which are held in the coming week and a half.
VFF
