ADO Den Haag Closes Training Sessions Amid Leak Controversy

Head coach Peter has shut the gates.

Stung by a leak of his team selection, the ADO boss has decided to close training sessions to the public, insisting that tactical protection now outweighs the club’s desire for openness.

Speaking to Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, Peter did not hide his irritation. "I don't know who it was, but in any case someone, or a few people, posted information online immediately. That makes keeping training sessions open completely pointless for us."

The frustration is clear: the trust has gone. What should have stayed within the walls of the training complex was out in the open within minutes.

"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."

So the stands at training will be empty, at least for now, sacrificed in the name of tactical integrity.

First Eredivisie home game in five years

Away from the off-field annoyance, Sunday brings something ADO have waited a long time for: an Eredivisie home match again. Five years since the last one.

FC Groningen are the visitors on matchday two of the 2026-27 campaign, and every seat has gone. A sold-out crowd, a club back on the big stage, and a manager determined to keep the focus on the football.

Putting the leak aside, Peter is relishing the occasion. "I don't expect any surprises and I'm hoping for an open game played at high intensity by both teams," he said.

High tempo, few secrets, everything on show – at least once the whistle blows.

Team news and early-season pressure

ADO are still hunting their first points of the season after a 2-0 defeat to AZ on the opening day, when second-half goals from Ro-Zangelo Daal and Calvin Stengs decided the contest. That loss has sharpened the edge around this home fixture. A response is needed, and quickly.

On the personnel front, the hosts remain without Jalen Hawkins, sidelined by a hamstring problem, and long-term absentee Cameron Peupion, who continues his recovery from knee surgery. Those absences trim Peter’s options in attack and midfield.

There is better news in goal. Niclas Thiede has returned to full training after an ankle injury and is back in contention, restoring experience and stability between the posts. Cagliari loanee Othniel Raterink is also edging closer to involvement; he could feature from the bench as he builds match fitness.

Across the halfway line waits a Groningen side with a very different early-season mood. They arrive in The Hague buoyed by a narrow opening-day win over FC Utrecht, momentum already building after edging their curtain-raiser.

An ADO team under scrutiny, a Groningen side brimming with confidence, and a stadium that has missed this level of football for half a decade. The doors to training may be closed, but on Sunday afternoon, nothing will be hidden.