Cape Coral, April 27, 2019
With FGCDL FC entering its 5th season with their Youth Academy and the annual try-outs coming up we spoke up with Director of Soccer Operations Davy Hendriks about the developments in the Academy and the upcoming 2019-2020 season.
FGCDL FC: Where are you originally from and what is your soccer background?
DH: I am originally from Arnhem, which is a city in the Netherlands. I lived, played soccer, and coached soccer there all my life until I moved here. I started playing soccer when I was six years old and played until the day, I was forced to stop because of a serious ankle injury in 2014. Before my injury I always played in competitive and high division leagues. Nowadays, I kick the ball for fun when I get the chance. I had two great opportunities to play professional soccer but unfortunately didn’t end up signing contracts because of certain circumstances. One of the clubs was in Thailand and the other one was in the Netherlands. I also played futsal on the second highest level.
I have been coaching soccer for about 15 years now and can say that I probably coached all age groups starting with 5-year-old kids all the way to adults. I coached on the second highest level for the most part. My parents are into soccer so I grew up with it and spend all my free-time either playing, coaching, or watching soccer for as long as I can remember.
FGCDL FC: You obtained your UEFA C and B coaching licenses in the Netherlands, what made you step into coaching?
DH: The love for the game is what got me into coaching. I am a people’s person and love to pass on what I have learned and experienced. I connect with the players because we share the same passion, and I want to help them achieve their goals and chase their dreams. When I was younger, I just wanted to be at the fields whenever I could. When I didn’t have practice myself, I wanted to give practice just to be there. Today, with all the years of experience and knowing that my time to play is over, coaching is what keeps me on the fields. Who doesn’t want to make their passion a living? Seeing the players have fun and develop is what motivates me each and every day.
FGCDL FC: What made you decide to come to the USA?
DH: I came to the USA 10 years ago to coach at a summer camp. I spent three months doing what I loved doing at home, just on the other side of the ocean. I noticed the winning mentality over here fast and loved it. I always wanted to return after that. I was certain that I could develop both as a person and a coach and this is exactly what I am doing now. What started with an adventure to try something new has become my life. I still like to go to the Netherlands to visit but I feel more at home here. I have my own family here now, my girlfriend and 8-year old who also plays soccer, so the only thing missing from home are my parents.
FGCDL FC: what do you like most about FGCDL FC?
DH: My like-list is long, but the number one on that list is definitely the family-feeling. When you are part of our club, you are part of the “Orange Family”. We offer several “Orange Family Events” throughout the season, which all academy kids and their families are welcome to attend. We don’t only know our players, but we know their parents, siblings, grandparents, or whoever is considered our player’s family. I also love the program we offer in our Youth Academy. It is different from other clubs.
FGCDL FC: You have been with the club for a few years now, what are the major differences now compared to the early days?
DH: The major differences are the league-play in the upcoming season and the annual growth. We started at zero, nobody knew who we were, and nobody knew what we do. By now the word has spread and we see more and more children and teenagers joining, which shows that we are doing something right.
FGCDL FC: For the first time in our history we are allowed to play in two leagues instead of just playing tournaments. What will that mean for the club and players?
DH: For us to play in a league the upcoming season means that it will get even more competitive because we get to play more local teams. When children compete, they get better because they push themselves more. We will have games more regularly than we did with our tournament schedule, but we will have fewer games too. This gives us the chance to prepare more intensely and specifically for the next opponents based on what the teams need.
FGCDL FC: The Dutch Lions FC clubs have a specific development model and playing style, can you explain more about that?
DH: The Dutch playing style is similar in every Dutch Lions FC club. It’s a typical 1-4-3-3 or 1-3-4-3 formation with the objective to be dominant. This means we use a lot of (high) pressure to get the ball and once we have the ball, we want to keep possession by building up from the back, playing through the midfield, and a lot of movement up front.
Twice a year we hold player evaluation meetings to point out to each player how to improve in the team and individually, as well as where improvement could be seen already. The evaluation is motivational and educational and gives extra one-on-one attention.
FGCDL FC: How do you implement that in and make sure all teams are training and playing according to that model and style?
DH: We as coaches work together, we have regular meetings, and we communicate and help each other out. All coaches are aware of our model and style and stand fully behind it because they know it works. In order to achieve the players’ highest performance, we introduce the basics to our little ones and keep adding to their knowledge and skills. With our youngest we focus on fun, rules, and technique and with the older ones we get more tactical (and therefore use video analysis) and the results are of more importance the older players get. However, fun will always be a big part of practices and games because without that the players’ performance will not be at their maximum.
FGCDL FC: What can people expect at the 2019-2020 try-outs?
DH: First of all, they can expect to feel welcomed, and hopefully they will not feel the pressure and anxiety of typical try-outs. We will have a “normal” practice so that they know exactly what to expect if they make the team. It also shows us at which level every single kid is playing without putting anyone on the spot.
FGCDL FC: Why should people join us and come play in our Youth Academy?
DH: We offer a professional and quality program and are fully committed to the children. All coaches are licensed and passionate about what they do. As I have mentioned earlier, you don’t just join a soccer club, but you become part of our “Orange Family”. The kids are our priority not only on the fields, but also off the fields. We offer tutoring for the ones who struggle in school and value respect, discipline, and good behavior. As a club we also provide a "Gateway to professional soccer". If you are good enough, we can assist in trials with universities and professional soccer team in both the USA as well as Europe because of our extensive network and own Dutch Lions FC teams (Men’s 4th Division in Houston, Dayton and Cincinnati, Women’s 2nd Division in Cape Coral and Dayton). In all (five) Dutch Lions FC clubs, we had more than 40 players turn professional.
Besides being Director of Soccer, Davy will coach the U10 Boys and U14 Girls teams next season and also supervise the entire Youth Academy. He was also recently appointed as Head Coach for the Women’s team. We will have more on our Women's in the next few weeks! Make sure you come tryout for one of our teams, the full try-out schedule can be found here.