Update: Making it a tradition, the Dutch national team players once again donned the shirts of their youth clubs during training. This practice was first introduced by the Netherlands national team back in 2022.
Netherlands National Team Players x First-Ever Club Kits - 2023
We saw some new youth club kits in action as several players were not nominated for the Dutch national team one year ago. For example, the kit of WDS'19, the first club of Virgil Van Dijk, and the shirt of RKSV Pancratius, the first club of Botman.
June 2022: The 25 players of the Dutch national team took to the training ground on Friday wearing not the usual training top.
National Football Day - Dutch Players Wear Kit of Their First Club
Every player of the Netherlands national team wore the kit of his first-ever amateur club. This was an idea of Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) to officially kick off 'National Football Day' (De Nationale Voetbaldag). The KNVB called on all football fans to kit themselves out in the shirt of their former amateur club to highlight the social value of football.
For example, Frenkie de Jong wore the shirt of ASV Arkel, Steven Berghuis donned the shirt of LAC Frisia 1883 while Manchester City’s Nathan Ake stepped out in a VV Wilhelmus shirt.
Dutch National Team June 2022 Players - First-Ever Team
Nathan Aké: vv WilhelmusSteven Berghuis: LAC Frisia 1883
Steven Bergwijn: ASC Waterwijk
Daley Blind: AFC Amsterdam
Jasper Cillessen: De Treffers
Denzel Dumfries: vv Smitshoek
Mark Flekken: WDZ Bochholtz
Cody Gakpo: EVV Eindhoven
Hans Hateboer: THOS
Vincent Janssen: SV TOP
Frenkie de Jong: ASV Arkel
Davy Klaassen: HVV de Zebra’s
Teun Koopmeiners: Vitesse ’22
Noa Lang: RSV HION
Matthijs de Ligt: FC Abcoude
Tyrell Malacia: Overmaas
Memphis Depay: vv Moordrecht
Kjell Scherpen: vv Emmen
Jerdy Schouten: FC Vlotbrug
Guus Til: SV Geinburgia
Jurriën Timber: DVSU
Stefan de Vrij: VV Spirit
Wout Weghorst: RKSV NEO
Should more national teams do this? Comment below.