Hampton’s Lower School footballers enjoyed a successful trip to Amsterdam over the Summer holidays. Third Year Josh Hood reports on their footballing exploits at the home of Dutch football:
In the final week of the Summer holidays a group of U12 and U13 boys set off on a football tour to Ajax Football Club that was to prove a very successful and memorable experience for everyone involved.
There was much excitement and high expectations for the first training session with the Ajax youth training coaches. With a reputation as a world class youth academy, the training did not disappoint. The boys were split into their various teams to participate in drills normally reserved for the first team. After learning a variety of different skills and moves, the boys were exhausted – not least by the 30 degree heat. We also enjoyed a guided tour of the Johann Cruyff Arena (the home of Ajax Football Club), the highlight being an unexpected meeting with Edwin van der Sar, CEO of Ajax and former Manchester United goalkeeper.
After another action-packed training session, this time with Hampton’s football coaches, we enjoyed a visit to central Amsterdam where we discovered a fascinating city with a wealth of history. A sightseeing cruise took us around the UNESCO-listed canals and allowed a close-up view of the many landmarks in the Dutch capital.
The tour concluded with four fixtures against local team FC Alsmeer, where we were hoping to put everything we had learned during our training sessions into practice. Hampton gained two wins and sustained two defeats; all our footballers had battled hard and enjoyed some great football, exhausted and happy regardless of the results.
The Hampton boys and staff returned home, inspired by a very successful style of playing football – the Ajax way. Many thanks to all the staff involved for ensuring a memorable football trip.
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