Our in-house Dutch football writer visited semi-pro club Kozakken Boys. While the spectacle was small, an important lesson was learned regarding the future of Dutch football.

“Sorry, ik spreek geen Nederlands goed.”
It’s true: my Dutch is not very good. But when I heard the man murmur something to me, I became excited; perhaps I can show off my three months of Dutch DuoLingo lessons! But the grey-haired Dutchman, in response to my carefully-crafted reply, looked perplexed. His soft smile told me that I shouldn’t have tried to speak Dutch in the first place. We both returned our attention to the pitch.
The man’s confusion was understandable. We were in Werkendam, a somewhat secluded Dutch town over three hours south of Amsterdam. Why would a young foreign man travel down here for a football match? To be honest, I didn’t really know myself.