Oranje U17 manager Peter van den Berg to leave the KNVB after this season | OneFootball

The KNVB and Peter van den Berg have decided in mutual consultation to end their collaboration after this season. Van den Berg fulfilled a combined function as coach of Oranje U17 and teacher at the KNVB Academy.

Via the KNVB website, director of football Nigel de Jong spoke highly: “We are grateful to Peter for his great commitment and professionalism for the boys. In a short time, he has made a valuable contribution to the KNVB. Peter is a highly valued and experienced trainer within Dutch football. We wish him all the best in the future.”

Van den Berg looked back on his time at the KNVB with a good feeling: “I look back with pride on a valuable and educational period, in which I had the privilege of working with the top of the Netherlands. It was an honour to be able to contribute to that. In practice, it turned out to be difficult for me to combine these two intensive and substantively demanding roles in a sustainable way. I look forward to new opportunities to further develop myself as a trainer and coach.”

No European Championship under 17

Unfortunately, the Dutch U17 team failed to qualify for the European Championship this year under Van den Berg. The Netherlands was in a group with host country Portugal, Serbia and Hungary. The opening match against Serbia was unfortunately lost 0-1, followed by a 3-1 defeat against Portugal. The qualifying series ended in March with a 2-2 draw against Hungary.

At the KNVB Academy, Van den Berg is active as a teacher within the VC4 program. With his background as a former professional footballer and his years of experience as a trainer – including at Willem II, RKC Waalwijk, Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord – he has made a valuable contribution to Dutch football. As a player, he played more than 400 matches in professional football, at clubs such as Excelsior, Cambuur, AZ, RKC, Feyenoord, Vitesse and FC Den Bosch.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield