After two years in the Middle East, he returned to the Netherlands to take over as the coach of the under-17s national team. He twice led the team to victory in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, in 2011 and 2012, leading to his promotion to manage the under-21s. Stuivenberg also scouted for the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) and educated professional coaches at the KNVB Academy.