MVV Maastricht has started selecting girls for the under 17 team. The club wants to start in the league with the girls’ team from next season.
On Tuesday there were thirty players on the field, Thursday will be the next scouting afternoon.
Nervous
The girls are all from the Maastricht region and some were quite nervous. “Healthy tension is part of it. You don’t participate for nothing,” says 16-year-old Femke Aussems. The girls are between the ages of 13 and 17. They all hope for a spot in the selection. Ultimately, 20 players are selected. One of the youngest on the field is Zara Moonen. “My dream is to become a professional, I am a fan of Jackie Groenen.”
Unique
Ultimately, 18 players and two goalkeepers are selected. From the beginning of August, the group will train three times a week and will also play one competition match. The selection will be supervised by a physiotherapist, dietician and strength training will also be given. The club consciously chooses to start with a youth team, explains Ger Beckers, coordinator of girls’ football at MVV. “It is unique for these girls to play here in De Geusselt now. It could well be that these players will play in the first women’s team of MVV in the future.
Abroad
Initially, this initiative is a one-year pilot, but the intention is to grow into a fully-fledged women’s team in the coming years. Ger Beckers: “In the past, many Limburg girls left for Racing Genk, Standard Luik or Borussia Mönchengladbach, for example. We now hope to be able to offer them something so that they no longer have to go abroad.” Players who are interested in the selection training can still register.