Sparta Youth Academy
The Sparta Youth Academy is a football youth academy based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from where the organization manages a total of 13 youth teams (ages 7–18). The academy is the primary youth clinic of Dutch football club Sparta Rotterdam, the oldest professional football club in the Netherlands. The Academy received the four star academic sports certification, the highest possible rating for sports academies in the Netherlands, having won the best National football academy award on several occasions. History. The Sparta youth system is famous for having produced and still producing many great Dutch internationals such as: Danny  Blind, Danny Koevermans, David Mendes da Silva, Ed de Goey, Winston Bogarde, Henk Fräser, Jan van Beveren, Jetro Willems, John de Wolf, Kevin Strootman, Kew Jaliens, Luuk Balkestein, Pim Doesburg, and Nick Viergever. Education. In addition to training professional football players, the Sparta Youth Academy also offer other courses, such as a degree in Sports Marketing, in collaboration with the Erasmus University Rotterdam offered since 2011. A level 3 and level 4 International Business Study program in Sport & Exercise has been offered since 2009 in collaboration with Zadkine College. It is specifically for the players who start in the MBO  (department sport and physical activity) and the players that follow a different vocational training in collaboration with a Zadkine customization. Board and staff. Current Staff. Chairman Head coach Technical Director ("upper-level A–C") Technical Director ("mid-level A–C") Technical Director ("lower-level D–F")