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The new accommodation for the Youth Academy at De Herdgang was officially surrendered on Thursday afternoon, after all parties concerned had signed documents and a glass of champaign had been drunk. Later a grand tour of the new grounds was conducted. Late Mr Frits Philips gave the green light for the construction of the youth section of De Herdgang grounds at the end of January 2005 by pressing a button. And on Thursday the time had come to sign the deed of conveyance. All the Board of PSV directors, the architect, the builders and representatives of the contractors attended the official ceremony. The official opening will be conducted in summer, but this month several departments, among which the canteen of the PSV amateur section and the offices of the PSV Youth Academy, will be moved to the new grounds. One thing is for sure: the new grounds are beautiful. "This is an extraordinary landmark in our history of which we are very proud", announced PSV Chairman Rob Westerhof, prior to the grand tour that the private circle of people made. The PSV Board of Directors, Westerhof, Ribbers and Hiddink, were joined by officials of the PSV amateur section, several officials of the club, the architect, representatives of the building constructors and brewery, the building contractor, the designer and representatives of the PSV Supporters’ Association. During the tour they were given a fine glimpse behind the scenes of the new grounds. There are new offices for, among other people, representatives of the Youth Academy and the secretarial staff. There are eleven dressing rooms, a room for the coaches, and three rooms for the referees, a large gym, a room for the physiotherapists and the doctor and a laundry. The canteen is very spacious; there is a special sitting area and a storage space near the kitchen. There are also facilities for wheelchair users. Guus Hiddink emphasized in a short speech, which he made after the official documents had been signed, that the entire grounds have a luxurious appearance. "We used to distinguish between ‘us’ and ‘them’, when we referred to the sections of the professional players and the Youth Academy at De Herdgang. But then we asked ourselves a crucial question: what do we want? Do we really want to take the Youth Academy seriously? If so, we should take the necessary steps. We invited the Board of Directors and we showed them the new section for the professional players and after that the youth grounds.‘Now is the time to swing into action’, was the overall conclusion. PSV were to create a top sport climate, was the unanimous wish of the Board of Directors. We have a wonderful opportunity here to consciously have young lads develop themselves and make progress. This is a tremendous boost: we can now make demands to the youth players and the technical staff. It would be marvelous if the numbers 12 to 23 of our squad were youngsters that have come through our own youth ranks”, explained Hiddink. A stand has been constructed that accommodates over 200 people. There is also a fine terrace in between the canteen and the stand. The pitch has not been laid yet, but all proceedings will have been completed in spring.
