Part 1 – Who’s the Cherry?
I can still remember it well. A fantastic beautiful day in August. Hopefully waiting for the coach who would appear. It took a while, but we did not let us go crazy. After all, it was great weather, so that would be fine. After a while we started to worry. That coach would not have forgotten? Maybe we were mistaken in the time! No that is not possible. We couldn’t imagine that 18 parents would be wrong in the time. Then just ask the man at the materials loft in recognizable club clothing. I hoped he could provide me with clarity and asked if he knew who would become the coach of the team. Unfortunately, he had no idea. There were those children. Could it be that we could go home without even having seen one ball? I asked if he could help me with some materials. That was no problem.
Armed with a ball, jerseys and cones, I came back to the field and asked one of the parents if he wanted to help me. No problem and I already had an assistant, even before I started. Finally the session started, not planned at all, but for the first time I stood for a group of youth soccer players, not knowing that 6 years later I would join the KNVB in the function of regional coach, talent coach and employee football development. Meanwhile, a good number of years later (I am a bit wiser and grayer) I occasionally look back on the period when I had just started in comparison with what I now have in terms of knowledge and experience. I have been fortunate enough to gain a lot of football-related knowledge and today I still learn.
11 years ago I became a teacher at the KNVB, a job where I still enjoy a lot of fun. In 2011 I became head coach at Saestum in the national top class of women’s football and I celebrated great heights. 5 years ago the Utrecht Women’s Soccer Academy (UVVA) was founded and we have seen many talents from all over the Netherlands. 2 years ago I started a nice job in the women’s soccer selection of VV Eldenia in Arnhem. Given the position in the ranking, it must be very strange if we do not promote to the national top class. Wondering if coaches are interested in my approach. I like to share my knowledge with coaches and anyone who is interested in this. Every week I will treat a theme or an event in the hope that everyone can benefit from this. I do not exclude that my blogs will occasionally have sharp edges, because we can learn from everything we experience, but also what we are responsible for.
Are we aware of the choices we make, or do we only become aware of our choices when we see the result?
John Kaersenhout (The Cherry)
