{"id":2913,"date":"2026-06-25T10:07:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T10:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/?p=2913"},"modified":"2026-06-25T10:17:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T10:17:33","slug":"the-ajax-philosophy-in-corfu-xander-baert-on-how-ajax-dna-comes-to-life-at-ajax-camps-kerkyra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/uncategorized\/the-ajax-philosophy-in-corfu-xander-baert-on-how-ajax-dna-comes-to-life-at-ajax-camps-kerkyra\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ajax Philosophy in Corfu: Xander Baert on how Ajax DNA comes to life at Ajax Camps Kerkyra"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2913\" class=\"elementor elementor-2913\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ecf9a6d e-grid e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ecf9a6d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div 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data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55fe7b0 gallery-spacing-custom elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-gallery\" data-id=\"55fe7b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-gallery\">\n\t\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-2913 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/xander-baert.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/xander-baert.jpg 1618w, 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elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/news\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-arrow-alt-circle-left\" viewbox=\"0 0 512 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M256 504C119 504 8 393 8 256S119 8 256 8s248 111 248 248-111 248-248 248zm116-292H256v-70.9c0-10.7-13-16.1-20.5-8.5L121.2 247.5c-4.7 4.7-4.7 12.2 0 16.9l114.3 114.9c7.6 7.6 20.5 2.2 20.5-8.5V300h116c6.6 0 12-5.4 12-12v-64c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">BACK<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d55f421 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d55f421\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>AFC Ajax&#8217;s return to Corfu for a second consecutive year is a strong indication of the success and growing impact of the Ajax Camps Kerkyra. Behind the organisation and implementation of Ajax\u2019s renowned football philosophy stands Xander Baert, Coordinator of AFC Ajax Amsterdam, whose role is to ensure that every aspect of the camp reflects the club\u2019s methodology, values and DNA.<\/strong><\/p><p>In the following interview, Xander Baert explains why Ajax\u2019s presence in Kerkyra is so important, how the philosophy of the world\u2019s most respected youth academies is transferred to young players, and which values he believes are essential for their development both on and off the pitch. He also reflects on last year\u2019s experience, shares the lessons learned from the first edition of the camp, and reveals why he is excited to return to the island and reconnect with the people of Corfu.<\/p><p><strong>The full interview follows:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Ajax Camps Kerkyra are returning for a second consecutive year in 2026. What does this continuity mean for AFC Ajax Amsterdam and the development of the project in Corfu?<\/strong><\/p><p><em>\u201cWe are happy to come back to Kerkyra. Last year it was in one place, this year in the South, North and the Centre. It&#8217;s also important for the kids to have a lot of fun, but they can also learn from our philosophy, and so can the coaches in Greece. For the age group we&#8217;re training, it&#8217;s perfect. It&#8217;s our philosophy: the technical aspect, but also how you can learn the Ajax mentality in six days, how the speed is, how the technical parts are. What&#8217;s also important is to bring the technical parts of football into our game philosophy.<\/em><\/p><p><em>So, in one-on-one, two-on-two, or two-on-one situations, everything is done at high intensity. But intensity is good only if you bring it through the technical part. It&#8217;s really important that you do it really well. So we start slowly. It&#8217;s better to do it well than to do it fast and not well enough\u201d.<\/em><\/p><p><strong>Looking back at last year&#8217;s camp, what were your key takeaways from the experience in Kerkyra?<\/strong><\/p><p><em>\u201cWhat we&#8217;re proud of is what we see. We start with kids who may not be very talented, but they come to have fun and they say, &#8220;Okay, Ajax is magic.&#8221; It&#8217;s a huge club. It&#8217;s the most beautiful club in the world. We have the best youth academy philosophy in the world, and I think the kids are proud to experience a football philosophy from Ajax trainers.<\/em><\/p><p><em>I talk with a lot of parents and the kids are so excited to learn from Ajax trainers. What we see is that every kid can learn it if they want to. We started on Monday and, after three or four training sessions, we saw a high level of improvement. The kids become better when they listen, when they do it and when they believe in themselves. Also, whether the kids are very talented or not is not the most important thing. What&#8217;s important is that they enjoy the camp and have a lot of fun. So we play a lot of games. The trainers become friends with the kids. They are so lovely and thankful\u201d.<\/em><\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2903 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1618\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3.jpg 1618w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-18x12.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" \/><\/p><p><strong>As the Ajax Coordinator, how do you ensure that Ajax Camps Kerkyra remain aligned with the club\u2019s methodology and football philosophy?<\/strong><\/p><p><em>\u201cI talk with the coaches every day. We prepare the training sessions together. From now on, I have a lot of contact with Travis Graham and the coaches, so we prepare the training sessions for the whole week. We are ready for it because we use these sessions every day in the Ajax youth academy. It&#8217;s the same training they get in Kerkyra as the one we do tomorrow on the pitch in Amsterdam. But we always have to look at the quality of the grass and the quality of the equipment. Everything must be good. Our trainers are sharp and they have the heart of Ajax. You have to show who you are and what the Ajax DNA is.<\/em><\/p><p><em>After every training session, we have a meeting with the trainers. What was good? What can be better? Maybe a cone in one part of the training should be moved 10 or 15 centimetres back, or maybe the field was too small. So after every training session, we have a proper evaluation so that the next training can be even better. We always want to give 150%, not 99%\u201d.<\/em><\/p><p><strong>Beyond football skills, what values does Ajax aim to instill in young players?<\/strong><\/p><p><em>\u201cIt&#8217;s something more than football at these ages. They have to believe in the trainer. They shouldn&#8217;t come to training thinking, &#8220;Okay, the trainer is a little bit angry, so we must be serious.&#8221; They have to have fun. So we play games. We have a philosophy. We build the training in short blocks. We start with a six-minute session and then move on to a skill exercise. But the skill exercise must always be fun, so they enjoy the training and want to come back.<\/em><\/p><p><em>Even when it&#8217;s the third training session and they&#8217;re a little tired, or they think, &#8220;Okay, it&#8217;s too hot,&#8221; it doesn&#8217;t matter. They still want to come because they&#8217;re excited for day three. Then, when it&#8217;s day five or day six and the first week is over, we see that the kids are really sad that it&#8217;s finished. That&#8217;s exactly what you want to build. We always maintain high quality. You give high-fives, you have fun with the kids. I always tell the trainers: remember the names of the kids. I&#8217;m very strict about that.<\/em><\/p><p><em>And what was fun last year was seeing all those kids wearing the Ajax jersey. You feel blessed. When you wear the Ajax shirt as a trainer, your mindset is different. Ajax is always in your mind and we believe Ajax is the best. As trainers, we can make mistakes. That&#8217;s okay. You learn from mistakes in your training sessions. That&#8217;s what we teach the coaches as well. It&#8217;s not bad to have a discussion, but not on the field. Discussions should take place away from the field and away from the kids. The kids should always have a smile on their faces. I saw it last year with the six-year-olds, but also with the 15- and 16-year-olds.<\/em><\/p><p><em>Last year we had a brother and sister, I think from Czechia. The girl was a little shy and she was the only girl there. But after three training sessions, she was thriving. She had the biggest smile while wearing the Ajax jersey, smiling from ear to ear. And when you see that, then we&#8217;re proud\u201d.<\/em><\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2904 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1618\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2.jpg 1618w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-18x12.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" \/><\/p><p><strong>What message would you like to share with the young players who will join Ajax Camps Kerkyra this summer?<\/strong><\/p><p><em>\u201cI think it&#8217;s a unique opportunity to come into close contact with Ajax people, the people behind the Ajax philosophy and the Ajax mentality. It&#8217;s a really good chance to experience it from up close. The parents can also come to the field. I talk with the parents because, as the coordinator, I like to explain what we do and why we do it. It&#8217;s our philosophy, but we share it. We invite people to come, let the kids have fun and enjoy a really, really nice experience.<\/em><\/p><p><em>I love the island. Last year was the first time I stayed there and I spent four weeks in Kerkyra. I met the Greek people and made friends. So yes, I&#8217;m looking forward to seeing Giannis again. We also have <a href=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/uncategorized\/kerkyra-united-afc-ajax-the-success-story-of-tasos-vasilakis-in-the-elite-of-european-football\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tasos Vasilakis<\/a>, who was my physiotherapist at the Future Cup. I love Corfu. I love the people. I love the food. And we have really, really good conditions there. So yes, I&#8217;m proud to come back to this beautiful island\u201d.<\/em><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2905 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1618\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1.jpg 1618w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-18x12.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-318b99c e-grid e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"318b99c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Ajax Philosophy in Corfu: Xander Baert on how Ajax DNA comes to life at Ajax Camps Kerkyra BACK AFC Ajax&#8217;s return to Corfu for a second consecutive year is a strong indication of the success and growing impact of the Ajax Camps Kerkyra. Behind the organisation and implementation of Ajax\u2019s renowned football philosophy stands [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2913"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2953,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2913\/revisions\/2953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerkyraunited.com\/gr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}