The KNVB Football for Development program is launched in 1996 with a 'coach-the-coach' program in South Africa. That program entailed educating local football coaches. Over the years this approach has remained the driver of the KNVB football development projects.

From 2003 KNVB has expanded this program; in addition to developing football, the KNVB started to contemplate how its projects were relevant to development and to consider the possibility to use football not only as an objective but also as an instrument to further local development and capacity building of the local partner organizations.