powered by
Niels
de Vries
sport & exercise scientist | football coach | consultant | PE TEACHER | SPEAKER
Experienced and energetic movement scientist / (fitness) coach, with over 20 years of working for the Royal Dutch Football Association, supporting the professional referees and women’s national (youth) team(s). Including 7 women’s final tournaments 2013-2025 and the Tokyo Olympics.
A true team player with a strong focus on knowledge sharing, action-oriented thinking, and innovation.
01.
Services
Support and feedback
As a dedicated coach and sport scientist, I deliver hands-on sport (science) services to coaches, clubs, players, sport scientists and associations.
My services include ideas on monitoring, case study discussion, feedback session and data-driven decision-making to optimize development.
Whether you’re aiming to enhance individual performance or elevate team outcomes, I deliver actionable insights grounded in your context.
NEW: ‘Learn’ calender to share interesting courses, seminars and congresses
Training
Action in the training setting. Focus areas include:
An interdisciplinary approach, aligning with coaches and supporting staff
Game-based training inspired by football action theory
Effective warm-ups tailored to play football
Live monitoring to track physical load and adjust sessions in real time
Translating match demands into training, ensuring players are prepared to play the game
Coaching
Providing targeted support for coaches, clubs, players, sport scientists and associations in the coaching environment.
Services include:
Team and individual periodisation aligned with match calender planning, performance goals and player development
Coach education grounded in current evidence and practical application
Reflection and innovation ideas to support (individual) development, continuous learning and decision-making. Personal, dedicated and honest
500+
Network
200+
International games
500+
Performance tests
1000+
Heartbeats 🙂
02.
Experiences
Working experiences through the years…
03.
News
'Treat the Football Fitness Problem, Not the Symptom'
Interviewer: Martin Buchheit – The Training Science PodcastGuest: Raymond Verheijen – Fc Evolution The podcast episode titled “Treat the Football Fitness Problem, Not the Symptom” features an in-depth conversation between Dr. Martin Buchheit and Raymond Verheijen. The discussion centers on moving away from subjective opinions in football coaching toward a logic-based, objective “Football Theory.” Summary 1. Career Evolution and Philosophy Raymond Verheijen describes his journey from…
'Do fast players remain fast and slow players remain slow?'
Author: Ludwig Ruf et al.Journal: International Journal of Sport Science and Coaching (2026) A Long-Term Study of Sprint Speed Development (U12–U19) It is a common belief in soccer academies that “speed is a gift you’re born with.” We often assume that the fastest U12 player will inevitably be the fastest U19 player. However, this 8-year longitudinal study by Ruf et al. (2026) challenges that paradigm, providing…
04.
Let’s talk
Have an idea you want to bring to life? Or ready to take the next step with your team, club or service? I’d love to hear from you! Fill out the form and I’ll get back to you soon.
