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