ADO Den Haag Closes Training Sessions for Tactical Secrecy

Head coach Peter has shut the gates. Literally.

Stung by a leak from inside his own training ground, the ADO boss has taken the drastic step of closing sessions to the public, insisting that protecting his tactics now outweighs the club’s tradition of open doors.

Speaking to Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, Peter did not hide his irritation after details from training surfaced online almost in real time.

"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 breach forced his hand. What had long been a welcoming environment is now off-limits.

"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 lands on the eve of a landmark afternoon for the club. ADO finally return to Eredivisie action at home, five years after their last top-flight match in The Hague, and Peter is determined not to let the leak overshadow the occasion.

His focus now is FC Groningen on Sunday, matchday two of the 2026-27 Eredivisie season, and a sold-out crowd waiting to see whether their side can respond after a bruising start.

"I don't expect any surprises and I'm hoping for an open game played at high intensity by both teams," he said, setting the tone for what he wants this team – and this stadium – to look like in the top tier again.

The reality, though, is that ADO are already chasing. Their campaign began with a 2-0 defeat away to AZ, decided after the break when Ro-Zangelo Daal and Calvin Stengs struck to punish a fading second-half display. No points, no goals, and now a test against a Groningen side riding the early-season wave.

Groningen arrive "brimming with momentum" after edging past FC Utrecht in their curtain-raiser, a result that has immediately framed them as awkward visitors rather than accommodating guests for ADO’s homecoming party.

Peter must also juggle a stretched squad. Jalen Hawkins remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Cameron Peupion is still a long-term absentee following knee surgery. Those absences strip ADO of energy and invention, and they know it.

There is at least some good news. Goalkeeper Niclas Thiede has returned to full training after an ankle injury and should strengthen the spine of the side again. Cagliari loanee Othniel Raterink is building his match fitness and could be eased in from the bench, a potential wild card in front of a restless, expectant home support.

So the picture is clear. A sold-out stadium. A team still searching for its first points. An opponent already up to speed. And a head coach who has drawn a hard line between the stands and the pitch in the name of tactical control.

On Sunday, with the doors closed during the week and the turnstiles spinning by the weekend, ADO will find out whether secrecy can help spark their season or whether Groningen will turn their long-awaited homecoming into another harsh Eredivisie lesson.