Peter Reacts to Training Leak as ADO Prepares for Eredivisie Return
Peter is angry. Not mildly irritated, not quietly disappointed – angry.
The ADO head coach has been forced to close what he wanted to keep open: the club’s training sessions. A team selection leak has pushed him to act just days before ADO’s first Eredivisie home game in five years.
Speaking to Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, he did not bother to hide his frustration.
“I don't know who it was, but in any case someone, or a few people, posted information online immediately,” he said. “That makes keeping training sessions open completely pointless for us.”
The leak concerned internal tactical information, shared almost in real time from an open session. For Peter, that crosses a line. He wants the public close, but not that close.
“I have no idea if this happened last year as well, but this time I knew it was posted online straight away,” he explained. “We want everyone to be able to come and watch training, but that information has to stay inside the complex. That didn't happen, so we have to close the doors.”
The decision underlines the tension modern coaches live with: openness versus control, fan access versus tactical secrecy. This time, control wins.
Focus back on the pitch
Once the subject of the leak is parked, Peter’s gaze shifts quickly to Sunday. ADO welcome FC Groningen on matchday two of the 2026-27 Eredivisie season, a sold-out crowd ready to savour top-flight football again in The Hague.
It has been a long wait. Five years without an Eredivisie home fixture. The return, though, comes with pressure.
ADO are chasing their first points of the campaign after a 2-0 defeat to AZ on the opening day. Ro-Zangelo Daal and Calvin Stengs struck in the second half to settle that contest, leaving ADO empty-handed and with little margin for another slow start.
Peter, though, expects a game that suits his ideas.
“I don't expect any surprises and I'm hoping for an open game played at high intensity by both teams,” he said.
An open game. High tempo. At home. In front of a full house. It is exactly the kind of occasion that can ignite a season – or expose early-season flaws.
Team news: gaps and returns
The squad is still not at full strength.
- Jalen Hawkins remains sidelined with a hamstring problem
- Cameron Peupion is a long-term absentee after knee surgery
Both are unavailable and will watch this early-season push from the stands.
There is better news in goal. Niclas Thiede has returned to full training after an ankle injury and is back in contention, a timely boost as the fixtures begin to stack up.
New face Othniel Raterink, on loan from Cagliari, is edging closer as well. The forward is still building match fitness but could feature from the bench, offering Peter another attacking option if the game opens up as he expects.
Groningen bring momentum
If ADO are searching for lift-off, Groningen arrive with it.
They edged past FC Utrecht in their curtain-raiser and come into Sunday brimming with confidence and rhythm. That win has already given them something ADO still lack this season: proof of concept.
A stern test, then, for a side still adjusting to the speed and detail of Eredivisie life again.
The doors at the training ground may be closed now. On Sunday afternoon, in front of a sold-out home crowd, there will be nowhere to hide.
