One of the biggest schools of talent in the world is the Ajax Youth Academy. One of the most famous youth systems, but we are here to understand why this academy is so good, what system they are using in comparison to others and much more.
This blog is a continuation of a series of articles published by our writers, focusing on clubs that spend very little money but are highly functional in the hierarchy of football. We evaluated the systems of Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Brighton and Hove Albion, and now we are getting a better understanding of Ajax’s methods and what they are doing to better their chances of winning titles both domestically and internationally.
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Inside Ajax Youth Academy
The Dutch are very proud people and they have been blessed with the likes of Johan Cruyff who changed the way they play football. Since that time, both the Dutch national team and Ajax played in a 4-3-3 formation and adopted very similar tactical approach towards games. The boys that are recruited into the Ajax youth academy are all playing the same method of football, so when players who make it to the very top they are already accustomed to Ajax style of play.
The football played at Ajax is very recognisable, attractive, offensive minded, creative and fast. Ajax developed the TIPS model which stands for Technique, Insight, Personality and Speed, which is advocated at all levels of the academy. For each part there are 10 criteria, technique and personality are generally innate properties but insight and speed can always be developed further.
A very special element that is well documented is that every player will play in various positions until they reach the age of 15. This gives the player the ability to know what the other player’s roles are and get a feel of what they should do if they find themselves in that position. This helps players understand that game better and also, further down the line, provide them with great versatility that is so important as they progress through the ranks.
The training facilities to accommodate this talent is outstanding, in 2011 Ajax inaugurated the Addidas micoach performance centre. This centre teaches football innovation and training methods to both the first team and various other youth teams. In the micoach performance centre, players are trained scientifically based on motion analytics, speed, distance, dribbling and shooting.
The downside is that big clubs such as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG, who are willing to pay substantial wages, pick apart the Ajax team. As we seen in the 2022 Summer transfer window, Manchester United took away the Manager (Erik ten Hag, Lisandro Martinez and Antony away from Ajax. The management wasn’t happy with Antony forcing a move as they already had to replace a coach and their primary centre-back.
Secret to the success
Having a huge connection with the first team is great, but the intrinsic motivation has to be there, and at Ajax this couldn’t be great. A good example is, Antony who left for Manchester United for a huge fee, which opened up the door for another player such as Mohammed Kudus to shine with Ajax. So players training within the youth academy they know ones the senior players move, they will be called upon and given the chance to compete and show what they are made of.
This is a very similar motivation that is given to SL Benfica players, which we referenced in the blog dedicated to the Benfica campus; there is a tangible feeling that each player will have a chance if they work hard and prove themselves.
Having a manager that, besides the goals of winning the league title and getting into the Champions League group stage, he is willing to give chances to the young players and in Ten Hag for example, he accommodated this requirement.
It’s always good when you make a profit out of a player, but that is not the end of it, the squad needs to replace and should it not have an adequate player on the wings, Ajax will have to scour other leagues for players and they are not able to afford to pay huge fees for players like other clubs. The Eredersive is a very small league and the commercial income is very small compared to that in the Premier League, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
De Toekomst
De Toekomst means for the future, and that is the ground name on which young players learn their trade. Top-tier coaches help them develop their skills. Van Der Sar, who is the CEO of Ajax, spoke about the importance of the academy and that players know what it takes to play for Ajax and that the philosophy in which they are coached, it works in developing some of the best players around the world. Pride is also another factor that many Dutch coaches and players built their success around, being able to come up the ranks and become one of the best players at Ajax.
The products from the academy has been mesmerizing and, of late, even more so, Donny Van de Beek, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Eriksen and many more.
The Champions League campaign of 2018/19 was truly remarkable feet for both the players and manager at the time, who went toe to toe with the biggest clubs in Europe and triumphed. When will we see another team that challenges the big hitters in the Champions League?