Source: FOOTYMAD
Iron youngsters go Dutch
Scunthorpe United's youth team are in the Netherlands for a two-week tour and training camp with leading Eredivisie clubs. Apprentice players from the Iron, Walsall, Watford and Wycombe will be based at ADO Den Haag, FC Utrecht, Feyenoord and NEX Nijmegen until August 6. They travelled to the continent on Monday.As well as an eight-team tournament and training sessions with top Dutch coaches, the young players will take in the Dutch Super Cup final between Ajax and FC Twente and visit the Arnhem War Memorial.The Football League-organised trip is funded by the Leonardo Da Vinci Fund For Life Long Learning.Richard Dobson, assistant manager at participating club Wycombe Wanderers, said there would be a significant benefit for players."This tour represents a fantastic chance for our young players to sample a different football philosophy and develop their tactical and technical ability further," he said."The two weeks will allow us to effectively work on things that might take two or three months to develop back in England, particularly the social and cultural aspects. You're with the players for 24-hours a day over a fortnight so you can take much more out of it than just football."Dan Jolley, project manager at League Football Education, pointed to mutual benefits for the trip."It also allows us to support young English football talent and take the work we already do as an organisation to an even greater level," he said. "74 of our Apprentices will be heading out to Holland and we've no doubt that they will enjoy the trip. On a professional basis it's a great opportunity for them as players to experience different styles of play, coaching and tactics while on a cultural level it should help them all to develop as individuals."Tony Daws' Iron youth team open their season with a league game at Bradford City on August 13.
