For nine days from April 14th (Mon) to April 22nd (Tue), 18 members of GAMBA OSAKA Youth, mainly from the U-17 generation, toured the Netherlands. During the tour, they participated for the first time in the 13th Olympia Future Cup, hosted by AFC Ajax (hereafter Ajax), a strategic partner of the team. Until the actual tournament, they trained at the facilities of Amsterdam Football Club, a city club in Amsterdam, and also played a training match with the U-19 team of the same team.

On the day before the tournament, the players also underwent a physical test in the presence of an Ajax development coach. This test, which was conducted using special equipment in a dedicated facility, was a valuable experience for the players. After the test, the players gave a presentation to local club team coaches and officials at the Ajax facility, providing a good opportunity for them to learn about GAMBA OSAKA's philosophy, history, organizational structure, etc.

13th Olympia Future Cup Match Results

On Saturday, April 19th and Sunday, April 20th, we took part in the Olympia Future Cup, coming in 5th out of 6 teams (details below), but through participating in the tournament, the players experienced world class football. Not only were they able to experience the individual abilities of the foreign players, but they were also able to experience the unique atmosphere of the venue, with many spectators flocking to the stadium despite it being a youth match. Furthermore, the tournament had its own unique rules, such as kick-ins instead of throw-ins, no limit on the number of substitutions for field players, and VAR was used on the main pitch at the venue, which gave the players more time to think for themselves and provided an opportunity for them to communicate more.

First Match
vs Ajax (Netherlands) 1-3 [Scorer] Yasui Tsukasa
Highlights
https://youtu.be/mPsrSyIu810?si=lSGuix5VNXtaV7jH

Second match
vs Paris Saint-Germain (France) 0-2
Highlights
https://youtu.be/wRyNGmKft-E?si=bNb0Dw43wHc6MS8U

Third match: 5th place deciding match
vs Anderlecht (Belgium) 4-1 [Scorers] Shimaoka Hinata x2, Kawano Sho, Shirosaka Koki
Highlights
https://youtu.be/KDz4wu7cD_s?si=YrAma-qzxMchnG9y

Head Coach Shigeru YOKOTANI, who was the Head Coach of this trip to the Netherlands, set the theme of the trip as "demonstrating independence through activities abroad," and we saw the players thinking and acting for themselves even off the pitch, which led to further growth in their humanity. In addition, the players were able to experience a tour of Ajax's home stadium, Johan Cruyff Arena, a canal cruise experience to experience the culture of the city of Amsterdam, and an experience of making cheese, a specialty of the Netherlands, allowing them to experience different cultures.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to all the Ajax members who have supported us greatly in participating in this tournament. We will continue to work together to promote the development of both clubs through our partnership activities.

■About the GAMBA OSAKA x AFC Ajax Football Strategic Partnership
https://www.gamba-osaka.net/english/news/index/no/16236/