Aruba is one of the four countries which make up the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Aruba national football team is controlled by the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond. Aruba inhabitants share Dutch citizenship with the other three countries. It means that they can recruit, and already do have, players from Holland. That could also be a negative aspect. If the Aruba national football team do develop home-grown talent there is a good chance they will choose to play for the more successful Netherlands.
The country is unlike other Caribbean countries in it’s geography. It is generally flat and river-less. It does have white sandy beaches on it’s south west coasts. This is where the majority of the country’s tourism developments have taken place. It is where most of the millions of people travel to every year.
Football is the number one sport in Aruba but despite this it has failed to make any impact on the world stage. As a country they have entered all World cup qualifying campaigns since 1998. They have always failed to qualify. They have also failed to reach a Gold Cup or managed to become champions of the Caribbean.
Aruba recently hosted a FIFA Com-Unity seminar. It was the first in the country’s history. It involves FIFA dignitaries coming to the country and taking part in workshops and seminars. It was all an attempt to improve Aruba’s stature in world football and improve their FIFA ranking.