Louis van Gaal will be along the line on Friday as a trainer of Telstar against Jong AZ. The national coach has been roped in by the club from the Kitchen Champion Division as part of the Spieren voor Spieren foundation, of which he and his wife are ambassadors. On his way to the game against the Alkmaarders, Van Gaal appeared on the field on Thursday morning. “The training has never been so crowded,” said chairman Pieter de Waard in the live broadcast of ESPN.
For the benefit of the foundation, 2.50 euros of every ticket sold for the match goes to charity. The proceeds of the training also go to Muscles for Muscles. “We ask for a contribution of 5 euros, including coffee and tea,” Telstar said. Van Gaal reported to the Telstar complex on Thursday morning and appeared on the training field at ten o’clock, after he had first held a meeting with the player group.
Real Louis van Gaal merchandise at Telstar. Proceeds from the Louis van Gaal scarf go to charity. pic.twitter.com/uXUQSyKvNY
— Jeroen Kapteijns (@JeroenKapteijns) September 22, 2021
The training was broadcast live on Friday by ESPN and commented by Leo Driessen and former Telstar player Frank Korpershoek. Initially, Van Gaal would only stand along the field against Jong AZ as a trainer, but after consultation with Telstar trainer Andries Jonker, the national coach decided that he would also provide training. “I think it became clear about eight weeks ago, after Andries and Louis had contact,” said De Waard.
For the time being, Louis van Gaal keeps calm on the training field at Telstar and is mainly updated by Andries Jonker, the actual head coach. pic.twitter.com/4YXLmkRn5p
— Jeroen Kapteijns (@JeroenKapteijns) September 22, 2021
Telstar had already made the appointment with Van Gaal when it became known that the trainer was being roped in as national coach by the KNVB. De Waard was not afraid that Van Gaal would cancel as a result. “Absolutely not, we have known Louis longer than today. Time is time and a deal is a deal,” said the chairman, who is looking forward to Friday evening’s game. “Jong AZ is frontrunner and we are in the lower regions. It will be an exciting game, but I have every confidence in it. It will be a stunning 6-3 victory. Louis brings something extra and we can use that when we look at the rankings.”
Voetbalzone is the official media partner of the Kitchen Champion Division
Click here for exclusive interviews, talent scouts, current positions and the program on our Kitchen Champion Division page.