Royal Netherlands Football Association

soccer-netherlands

Royal Netherlands Football Association
Homepage: http://www.knvb.nl/

History:

The Royal Netherlands Football Association (Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (KNVB), the country’s governing body for football, manages the overall development of the sport and its players. KNVB oversees the Dutch football league and the national team. Moreover, KNVB
calls up players for internationals; completely cares and prepares the Dutch national side, as well as maintains and raises the general level of playing standards in the Netherlands. KNVB carries out these activities from its headquarters in Woudenbergseweg, in the municipality of Zeist.

Activities to develop interests and talents in football in Netherlands started as early as 1905. By 1907, calls for the first national coach were made, following a staggering loss from England (12-2). While the position of Dutch national coach became a significant part of the national team after the First World War, it was not until 1928 when the team got for itself a permanent, properly salaried coach. But even with an appointed coach, KNVB’s committees still prevailed even until 1957. Not after a discussion between then coach Elek Schwartz and committee members in the autumn of 1957 when coaches were given full freedom to maneuver the national team.