A remarkable achievement. But what exactly explains the success? NH started a conversation with various Volendammers from the football world and bundled the most important insights.
Growing up between the football players
Daan Steur thinks he knows why his village produces so much football talent. He himself is a good example of that. The 22-year-old Volendammer started at the age of four at the amateur club RKAV, then pushed on to the youth academy of FC Volendam and is now playing in the first team of the same club-a typical Volendam route.
That he himself started playing football, he mainly attributes to his environment. “Look, Volendam is of course not that big,” he starts. “Many football players live practically on the same neighborhood. If I just look around … Dave Kwakman lives next to me. Boy Kemper lives two houses away. Dion Level and Joey Veerman still live behind this.”
The possibly upcoming Eredivisie player cannot suppress a smile while listing all the names. He continues: “With so many football players around you, it is almost the norm that you will also play football yourself. Behind our houses was a lawn that we all always played together. I just learned a lot there.”
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