Yannick van der Putten is a graduate of the Master in Sport Business Online and the Master in Coaching at Johan Cruyff Institute. This academic experience has accompanied him throughout his coaching career, which includes clubs in the Netherlands, the United States, and the Cayman Islands
Throughout his career, Yannick van der Putten has worked in a wide variety of contexts, from European academies to Caribbean teams. To this rich professional background he adds a solid academic foundation. At the age of 22, he completed the Master in Coaching in Amsterdam, which helped him lay the groundwork for his coaching career. Years later, he graduated from the Master in Sport Business Online, which fully prepared him to develop within the sports industry.
In this interview, Yannick reflects on his professional and academic journey, which led him to found GIKA10, his own player development platform. He also shares some key insights about the art of coaching: “For me, that’s the most important part of coaching: supporting players wherever they are in their lives. Helping them improve not only as footballers, but also as people.”
You’ve worked in very different contexts, from Ajax to the Caribbean. What key lessons did that diversity of football cultures teach you about coaching and player development?
The most important thing—whether at Ajax, in the Caribbean, in the United States or in Canada—is to ask yourself: what does the player want to learn? Footballers are usually in love with the game, even obsessed. So what you want is to add more fuel to that fire, to help them grow in the best possible way from the starting point they have. Of course, if you look at players already in professional academies, their skill level is different from those who play in lower tiers. But if they love football, that’s where you can really help improve them. You just have to be a good role model for them—someone who challenges and supports them in a positive way.
“For me, that’s the most important part of coaching: being there for the players wherever they are in life, and helping them grow not only as footballers but also as human beings.”
You completed the Master in Coaching in Amsterdam and the Master in Sport Business in Barcelona. How do these two programs complement each other in your current vision as a coach and sports professional?
It was fantastic. I consider myself very fortunate to have taken the Master in Coaching at such a young age. I think I was 21 when I was admitted and finished it at 22. What’s great about that program is that you learn very strong values at an early age and receive excellent guidance. I still keep in touch with my mentors. Sometimes what you really need is someone who genuinely believes in you and is there to listen.
This year, Yannick founded GIKA10, his own player development platform.
To this day, I still write reports for Maarten van Heeswijk, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done—just by listening, giving me feedback and asking the right questions. His curiosity helps me feel valued and speak freely without fear of judgement.
Later, with the Master in Sport Business, I learned everything about the more practical side of sport: sponsorship, finance, marketing, fan engagement, and strategic management. The guidance was also excellent. I already had some basic knowledge of these topics, but I lacked depth. With what I learned from the Master in Sport Business, I was able to start my own business in the United States.
For me, that was like closing the circle. My professional experience over all these years, together with both master’s degrees, allowed me to move forward significantly in my career. I started coaching at a very young age, first in the Netherlands and then spent seven years abroad.
“The flexibility of Johan Cruyff Institute, and its understanding that in the world of sport you don’t have the same schedule as everyone else, was fantastic.”
From your experience, what are the most common challenges young footballers face when transitioning from technical training to high-performance environments?
The main challenge is the adaptation period. That applies to anyone. When you move to another country, with a new job and a completely different environment, you need time to adapt. So it’s important to be patient. The same happens with players when they change clubs: the challenge is to adapt. I wouldn’t say it’s a technical issue—it’s about adaptation. For me personally, it takes between three and six months. You have to give them time, guide them, and build a connection with them. If you don’t build that connection, it’s very difficult to help them reach their full potential, as players or as people.
Which principles or values from Johan Cruyff Institute do you apply most in your daily work, whether coaching, leading, or launching new projects?
I remember one of the first classes in the Master in Coaching, when we were told a phrase that stuck with me: “Coach yourself before you coach others.” At the time, I thought, “What are they talking about?” It touches your ego a bit, because at that age I thought I already knew something. But over time, I understood what it meant. I still believe that development starts with personal connection. If I don’t feel connected with you, or if you don’t feel safe with me, there’s a disconnection. You have to make sure there’s a good relationship, a climate of trust, because that’s the foundation for growth.
In football, it often happens that a player says something, and the coach reacts defensively or ignores it. When someone doesn’t feel heard, resistance appears. That resistance can be silent or collective, and it can cause conflict. I made those mistakes. I was too direct or too firm—with good intentions—but I lost the connection with some key players and the team. It happened when I was 26 or 27, when I arrived in the Cayman Islands, and it took me at least a year to rebuild that trust. I still think some players might have a negative image of me, even though I thought I was trying to do the right thing.
After completing two master’s degrees and gaining international experience, in which areas would you like to continue growing professionally within the sports world?
At this point, I still love what I do, with the same enthusiasm I had at 17. Of course, now I have more knowledge about what I say and how I say it, but the passion remains the same. I also run a company now, and that’s my main area for improvement: becoming more aware that I’m managing a business. That includes how I operate it, even in the small details.
“For me, coaching is a privilege. It’s a pleasure to be able to help someone.”
If it were up to me, I would do what I do for free, because I love it. I always say that I have a “normal” job and then I have my coaching job. Every time I say that, people laugh—but I really mean it. For me, coaching is a privilege. It’s a pleasure to be able to help someone.
