Ajax Amsterdam: How De Toekomst Develops Players

Where the idea comes from

The Ajax philosophy does not begin in the youth academy, but in the first team. From 1965 onwards, Rinus Michels, with Johan Cruyff as his pivotal player, developed what would later be known as Totaalvoetbal: positional interchange, zonal marking, high pressing, and the requirement that every player must understand every position. With this approach, Ajax won the European Cup in 1971, 1972, and 1973.

The academy adopted this tactical philosophy as its primary coaching objective. Anyone wishing to play for Ajax had to master it. To this day, that remains the core: The academy develops players for a specific style of play, not for football in general.

Cruyff himself would later shape the academy twice: as manager from 1985 to 1988, and even more decisively through the so-called Cruyff Plan from 2011 onwards (more on this below). In between, managers like Louis van Gaal built upon the very same foundation: van Gaal's title-winning side of 1995 was structurally the implementation of Michels' ideas with a new generation.

Since 1996, the youth sides have trained at De Toekomst ('The Future'), the development centre situated right beside the Johan Cruijff ArenA. The name says it all.

The TIPS model

TIPS is the most famous element of the Ajax development system. It outlines the criteria by which players are selected and assessed:

• Techniek – Technique
• Inzicht – Game intelligence, insight
• Persoonlijkheid – Personality
• Snelheid – Speed

The order is no accident. Technique comes first because Ajax believe it is best trained at an early age and can rarely be caught up on later. Insight comes second because Ajax football demands rapid decision-making: when to tuck inside, when to create width, when to find the third man. Personality refers to taking responsibility, showing courage on the ball, and an eagerness to learn. Speed is deliberately listed last – not because it is unimportant, but because it is the least trainable attribute and reveals the least about a player's long-term ceiling.

What TIPS looks like in daily practice: every player is assessed regularly across these four dimensions. This assessment forms the foundation of their individual development plan. A player with outstanding technique but weak game intelligence receives a completely different programme to one with the opposite profile.

TIPS has been modified and expanded over the years. Critics within the club have noted that speed has grown significantly in importance in modern football and that the model does not reflect this enough. It is a framework, not a rigid formula.

The development principles

Individual development over team success

The most important principle, and the hardest to maintain. Ajax youth teams are not there to win championships; their purpose is to produce players for the first team. A coach who leads their U15 team to a title with long-ball tactics has, from an Ajax perspective, failed entirely.

In practice, this means: playing time is distributed according to developmental need, not current performance. Positions are assigned based on learning objectives, not the probability of winning the match. Match results are acknowledged, not celebrated.

A system as a teaching tool

All Ajax youth teams set up in a 4-3-3 using the classic Dutch numbering: 1 goalkeeper, 2 and 5 full-backs, 3 and 4 centre-backs, 6 holding midfielder, 8 and 10 central midfielders, 7 and 11 wingers, 9 striker. At Ajax, these numbers still define roles, not merely shirt numbers.

The formation is not a dogma for the first team; it is a teaching tool for the academy. Because every position has a clearly defined role, a coach can explain precisely to a twelve-year-old player what the 6 does in the build-up and what the 8 does during pressing. And because every team plays the same formation, a player can move up from the U13s to the U14s without having to learn an entirely new set of behaviours.

Positional rotation at an early age

Up until roughly the U13 age group, Ajax players rotate across multiple positions. A future centre-back plays as a holding midfielder to learn what it feels like to receive the ball with their back to an opponent. A future winger plays as a full-back to understand what an opponent experiences when being pressed.

This is Michels' direct heritage: Totaalvoetbal requires every player to understand every position. Specialisation comes later, typically from U14 or U15. How to plan this rotation in practice is detailed in the guide to positional rotation in youth football.

Positiespel – Positional play

Dutch positiespel is the direct forerunner of Catalan Juego de Posición and is omnipresent throughout the Ajax academy. 4v2, 5v3, 6v3 in tight spaces, progressing later to positional games with structured zones and target players.

Unlike the rondo, which is played in a circle, positiespel usually takes place in directional rectangles. The aim is not merely to keep possession, but to move the ball from one side to the other. This trains the defining pillars of Ajax football: building from the back, playing through the centre, and switching play.

Technique under match pressure, but also in isolation

This is where Ajax differ from La Masia. Ajax also train technique in isolation – ball manipulation, feints, two-footed passing technique, and receiving on the half-turn. The Coerver Method, developed in the 1970s by Dutchman Wiel Coerver, shaped Dutch youth development across the board, and Ajax are no exception.

However, the volume is controlled. The vast majority of each training session consists of game-based drills. Isolated technique is an introductory warm-up block, not the core of the session.

The 1v1 duel as the foundation

Ajax wingers are expected to beat their defenders. That is why 1v1 situations are trained across all age groups – both offensively and defensively. Coaches utilise game forms with bonus points for successful dribbles, run 1v1 mini-tournaments, and set up positional games where wingers are required to commit a defender before passing.

Coaches as educators

Ajax youth coaches are part of an academy department that follows a unified methodology. Many are former Ajax players. For years, the club ran its own internal coaching education programme to ensure everyone spoke the same tactical language. A coach who attempts to introduce their own idiosyncratic philosophy is not welcome.

The Cruyff Plan: What happens when you radicalise the method

In 2010, Johan Cruyff publicly criticised the direction of his club: too many coaches without an Ajax background, too little focus on individual development, and too many mediocre players. In 2011, his vision was put into action: former Ajax players assumed key positions, Wim Jonk became Head of Youth Development, Dennis Bergkamp worked with young forwards, and Frank de Boer managed the first team.

The plan rested on uncompromising principles:

• Individual training became the core. Every talented player received a bespoke development plan and one-on-one coaching with specialist trainers.
• Youth teams played exclusively to develop players. Match results were deemed irrelevant.
• Former players replaced conventional coaches who lacked an Ajax background, ensuring the club's philosophy was embodied authentically.
• Ajax aimed to return to what it was under Michels and Cruyff: the premier academy in world football, not a buying club.

The plan produced measurable success. Players like Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek, and Justin Kluivert were developed or refined during this era. Frank de Boer won four consecutive Eredivisie titles.

Yet it ultimately collapsed. In 2015, Wim Jonk left the club after a bitter internal dispute, and Cruyff withdrew. The friction centred on power, institutional structure, and the question of whether an academy can truly operate independently of first-team demands. Bergkamp departed in 2017.

What the Cruyff Plan demonstrates: Developmental philosophy and club governance must be fully aligned. A radical methodology without a stable administrative structure will eventually tear itself apart – even while continuing to produce world-class talent.

The business model

Ajax do not develop players purely out of romantic idealism. The club has built a sustainable business model around it: develop, establish in the first team, sell. De Ligt went to Juventus for around €75 million, de Jong to Barcelona for around €75 million, Antony to Manchester United for around €95 million – all base figures, with reported numbers varying by source.

This model comes with a downside. Talented players leave earlier and earlier, often before fully maturing in the first team. Ryan Gravenberch joined Bayern Munich at just 20. As a result, the academy frequently misses out on the final and most crucial development step: the transition from U19 football into a seasoned starting-eleven regular.

Bergkamp has criticised this publicly. Others at the club view it as an unavoidable reality of their market position: playing in the Eredivisie, Ajax simply cannot compete with English wage structures.

The critique

Detachment from results is largely theoretical. Every youth coach, even at Ajax, experiences pressure. Players want to win, parents want to win, and the club wants to showcase talent. The underlying principle is correct, but full implementation in reality is virtually impossible.

A rigid 4-3-3 has its limits. As a teaching tool, it is remarkably effective. As an absolute worldview, it can be restrictive. Players who learned only one tactical system at Ajax have frequently struggled to adapt when moving to other leagues. That is not an argument against the system itself, but against treating it as infallible dogma.

The Ajax school depends on the Dutch football environment. Small-sided games in children's football, technical mastery as a national culture, and a national association that champions the exact same philosophy. A club in another country attempting to copy Ajax lacks this surrounding infrastructure.

Recent years have brought turbulence. The semi-final run of 2019 was followed by domestic titles, then instability: boardroom changes, recruitment mistakes, and a poor sporting campaign in 2023/24. The academy was not insulated from this. Excellent youth coaching cannot compensate for flawed club leadership.

The methodology is less documented than its reputation suggests. Much like La Masia, Ajax do not publish an open curriculum. Much of what is known relies on accounts from former coaches and players.

Application: What you can adopt

This section represents our interpretation.

For youth coaches, Ajax is the most accessible of the great academies. Its core principles are concrete and do not require elite talent density to be effective.

Make a choice: develop or win?

Achieving both simultaneously is rarely realistic. If you choose to develop, you allocate playing time according to developmental need, deploy players in unfamiliar positions, and accept match defeats as a necessary cost. Communicate this clearly to your players and parents before the season begins – and stick to it when results test your resolve.

Use a consistent formation as a teaching tool

Not because it is inherently superior to all others, but because clear positional roles allow you to explain precisely what each player must do during build-up play, pressing, and defensive transitions. A player who understands their role clearly will learn far faster than one facing shifting instructions every weekend.

Assess across dimensions, not with school grades

Adopt TIPS or design your own framework. How player assessment in football can be built systematically is covered in detail in our dedicated guide. Assess each player two to three times per season across these dimensions. Discuss the findings with them. Derive clear training priorities from the discussion. That is the essence of an individual development plan – and it requires no expensive infrastructure, only your time.

Rotate positions up to U13

Ensure every player plays at least three different positions over the course of a season. Let the forward defend; let the defender build from the back. Delay tactical specialisation until U14.

Build 1v1 play into every session

Reserve five to ten minutes per training session for one-v-one situations – finishing on goal, in tight channels, and using varied starting angles. This trains, both attacking- and defending-wise, the core technical duels that are easily neglected in larger game formats.

Play positiespel with clear direction

Instead of a standard circular rondo, organise a 4v2 or 5v3 inside a rectangle with two end zones. The objective must be to transfer the ball from one zone to the other. This trains build-up play and switching play, rather than just keeping possession for its own sake.

Keep isolated technique brief, then integrate it into the game

Starting with a ten-minute block focused on ball manipulation, feints, or passing technique makes complete sense in grassroots football – Ajax do it too. Follow it up immediately with a game-realistic drill that demands that exact technical skill under match-like pressure.

Key takeaways

• Ajax develop players for a specific style of play – the 4-3-3 established by Michels and Cruyff, centred on positional play and pressing. The academy serves the first team, not the other way around.
• TIPS – Technique, Insight, Personality, Speed – is an assessment framework, not a rigid formula. It provides structure to individual development.
• Individual development takes precedence over team success. The principle is clear, even if complete execution remains difficult in practice.
• A consistent formation serves as an educational tool: clear roles and a shared vocabulary across all age groups.
• Positional rotation up to U13, 1v1 duels at every age, and directional positiespel.
• The Cruyff Plan proves: coaching methodology without a stable club structure will eventually dismantle itself, even while producing top players.

Player assessment in Coach OS is built around four core areas and 17 attributes – a structure inspired by the TIPS philosophy, refined for practical coaching. How you translate those insights into targeted development for each player is not something software can dictate. That remains your job as a coach.

Sources and further reading

• David Winner: Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football – on the roots of Totaalvoetbal and Dutch football culture.
• Johan Cruyff: My Turn: The Autobiography – exploring the Ajax philosophy through the lens of its most iconic figure.
• Interviews with Wim Jonk, Dennis Bergkamp, and Ruben Jongkind concerning the Cruyff Plan and individual player development, published across Dutch and international sports media between 2011 and 2017.
• Documentaries and investigative features on De Toekomst, produced by organisations including UEFA and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB).
• Wiel Coerver: Soccer Technique and subsequent works – detailing isolated technical coaching in Dutch youth football.

Note on factual sources: Ajax do not publish an official coaching curriculum. This overview is based on consistent accounts from former managers, coaches, and players, alongside external journalistic analysis. Transfer figures represent base amounts reported in reputable media and vary slightly depending on the source.