Jens Toornstra: “Studying online is perfect for me, because of my different training times”

Feyenoord player Jens Toornstra studied the online course Sport Management Fundamentals, which gave him more insights into the ins and outs of his club and football in general

Last year August, the national football league winners Feyenoord played against the national cup winners Vitesse in the Johan Cruyff Shield, also known as the Dutch Super Cup. To mark the occasion, Johan Cruyff Institute awarded 14 scholarships for the online study programs Sport Management Fundamentals and Football Business Fundamentals to the players and employees of the two top clubs. Feyenoord midfielder Jens Toornstra took up the offer and started the sport management course last October.

Jens Toornstra - Studying online is perfect for me because of my different training times - Johan Cruyff Institute“The most intriguing part was the Leadership module,” says the friendly midfielder. “You learn which different leadership styles there are and how they can be applied, depending on the organization and the team. Now that I’ve learned more about it, I’m more aware of my role within the team. And the Strategic Management module I also found interesting, because I recognize a lot in what is going on around the construction of the new Feyenoord stadium. I look at it differently now, because there are many factors that involve such a project, such as financing the construction and exploiting the stadium.”

The scholarships were given to the two clubs to honor the legacy of Johan Cruyff, namely to educate athletes in order to further professionalize the sports world. And how found Jens the experience of combining his football career with online studying? “The discussion assignments in particular gave me a lot of insight into how my fellow students think about certain subjects, plus you learn to discuss critically, but positively. It was great to be able to clear my head from time to time and to be busy with something other than football. Studying online is perfect for me, because I have different training times and different matches every week. Therefore, it was ideal that I could decide for myself when I studied. It took me some time to get used to it at the beginning, but I figured out what worked best for me and I liked it very much.”

“It is great to clear my head from time to time and to be busy with something other than football”

In the past, the 28-year-old Dutchman played for ADO Den Haag and FC Utrecht before he started playing for the top club from Rotterdam in 2014. But does he already dare to think about the period after his playing career? “At the moment, I do not see myself becoming a trainer or an agent, but it would be nice to keep working for a sports organization after my football career. Therefore, I won’t rule out starting a new course or an educational program after this online course.”

At the end of this month, Jens will complete the course.

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