Introduction Jip Bartels

• Former player of the AFC Ajax youth academy and Dutch national youth teams • Experienced youth educator/coach with more than 20 years of experience as a (professional) player • Bachelor (Hons) in Organizational Sciences, VU University Amsterdam • Master in Business Administration, University of Amsterdam • Montessori Introductory Coaching Course, Amsterdam 2017 • AMI Montessori Assistant Certificate, Melbourne 2018 • Montessori Football Course, Melbourne & Sydney, 2018 & 2019 • AMI Montessori Sports Fundamentals Course, 2020

In 2006, Ruben decided to become a full time coach and said goodbye to his professional career as consultant and academic researcher in the field of organizational design. After a successful period in track & field and amateur football, he attained the position of individual trainer at the famous AFC Ajax Youth Academy. After coaching, elite 800 meters athlete Bram Som back to world level, he decided to combine his knowledge on elite individual sports and organizational design and apply it to his work with Ajax top football talents. Ruben was appointed Head of Talent Development of the Ajax Academy from 2011-2016. His work contributed to Ajax reaching the final of the Europa League in 2017 with the youngest team ever to reach any European final and the Champions League semi-final in 2019. The key players of this team are the face of the revival of the Dutch national team with a new generation of talented young players, like De Ligt, De Jong, van de Beek, Kluivert developed within this system.

In 2018 he founded Montessori Sports ltd. together with his colleague Patrick Oudejans and became the CEO Global.

Ruben holds a degree in Environmental Science from Wageningen University and a Master in Business Administration (MScBA) from Nijmegen Business School.

Patrick worked at the AFC Ajax Youth Academy from 2012-2016 as a data analyst and is an UEFA licensed youth coach with more than 12 years of coaching experience with children in the ages from 3 till 16.

Patrick is a creative and optimistic individual that is passionate about education and entrepreneurship, able to connect and reach out to different generations. He loves the process from creation to improvement and refinement. With products as well as with people.

Furthermore, he strongly believes that human connection is the core of everything we do and why we are here on earth.

In 2018 he became CEO of Montessori Sports in the Asia-Pacific region. He is specialized in creating an environment with room for constant changes and improvements, based on the individual needs of children.

Patrick holds a honors bachelor degree (Bsc) in Sports, Management and Business at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Because the son of AMI CEO Lynne Lawrence, James Lawrence, was at the Ajax academy together with Jip and Ruben Jongkind was their coach, Ruben was introduced to the Montessori philosophy. He started implementing and integrating Montessorian principles into football with great success. During these years Ruben saw the philosophical connection between the Montessori philosophy and working with children in sports.

However, Ruben concluded that the football environment in general is not about the the development and wellbeing of the child, but it is about the adult (coach or parent) and James Lawrence, currently active for RSC Anderlecht in Belgium about winning. Changing the world of football from a coach centered to a child centered paradigm is a big challenge. Fortunately, there is an environment that is prepared for the enormous benefits that this great game may offer, and that is the Montessori environment. So, Ruben, together with his colleague Patrick Oudejans, decided to found Montessori Sports Ltd. to introduce sport programs to Montessori schools.

In 2018, this resulted in a strategic partnership with AMI. Lynne Lawrence, CEO AMI Lynne and Ruben at the AMI Global Meeting (2017)

© Montessori Sports “Tennis, football and the like do not have for their sole purpose the accurate moving of a ball but they challenge us to acquire a new skill -something lacking before - and this feeling of enhancing our abilities is the real source of delight in the game”

Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p.164 Montessori Sports enhances the physical, social and psychological development of the child by enriching the Montessori environment

⚽ Sydney ⚽ Perth ⚽ Melbourne

We continue to grow!

Schools +10 schools adopted Montessori Sports programmes or certifications

+10 Orientation Football CASA ✓ 6 in China ✓ 1 China (pilot) ✓ 2 in Australia ✓ 1 in Mexico

Teachers 1-day Workshop (1) 5-day Course (6) +200 ✓ +150 participants ✓ 81 certified teachers ✓ Valued with an overall ✓ Valued with an overall 9.7 out of 10 8.9 out of 10

Children +/- 2000 children attending programs (60% boys / 40% girls) +2000

1. Bring sports to the Montessori community in a Montessori way

2. Bring Montessori to the sports community

3. Bring Montessori Sports to children in need through the Montessori Sports Fund

1. Enriching the learning environment of children by offering football-activities, materials and observations

2. Creating added value to parents with a trustworthy, high quality Montessori sports program

3. Continuously improving the skills of teachers through AMI certified Montessori Sports training

4. Connecting to the global network of Montessori Sports schools through (inter)national cooperation and exchange programs for children and teachers

5. Contributing to the Montessori Sports Fund, to transfer the knowledge and philosophy to less fortunate places in the world.

Focus Coach is centered Child is centered

Group structure Calendar age Mixed ages 3-6

Learning Children follow instructions Peer to peer learning

Coaching Coaches are instructors Coaches are guides/observers

Result Result of the game Observations on development

Gender Boys over represented Boys and girls equally represented