On Thursday 10 June 2010 the players of the Dutch national team opened a Cruyff Court Orange Field in the township Hillbrow in Johannesburg (South Africa). The soccer field with changing rooms and a WorldCoaches office is a gift by the players for the youth of the disadvantaged neighbourhood and has been developed in collaboration with, among others, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, the Royal Netherlands Football Association KNVB and the Dutch embassy.

The players of the Dutch national team have donated a part of their tournament fees to make the expenses of 1 million rand (about 100,000 Euros) possible.

“My team mates in the Dutch national team and I, we all had a safe place near our homes where we could play football. A place where we could develop our skills and meet our friends. All these hours in the street made us into the football players we are today,” said Giovanni van Bronckhorst, captain of the Dutch national team. “As representatives of the Netherlands we feel privileged to be playing at the World Cup. But we do not come here to play and perform in the World Cup only. We want to support the local community as well. Therefore we would like to give the children of Hillbrow what we found so valuable in our own youth: a safe place to play and have fun.”

Embracing the legacy
“The Johan Cruyff Foundation and the Dutch national team have a long and successful history of working together. The Cruyff Court in Hillbrow is the fifth Cruyff Court that has been made possible by the players. When they approached us with the wish to leave behind a legacy in South Africa, we did not have a second’s hesitation,” says Johan Cruyff. “With the Construction of a Cruyff Court, we also spread the ideas of the Johan Cruyff Foundation. My 14 rules, closely connected to each Cruyff Court, teach children to be responsible, to show respect and to learn from each other, among other things. In the harsh reality of a township – where drugs and crime are serious issues – these life lessons are extremely valuable both on and off the pitch.”

After the opening by the players, Johan Cruyff and Henk Kesler, CEO Professional Football of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), several players from the Dutch national team played a game against children from the township. They were supported by Ruud Gullit, the President of The HollandBelgium Bid. The Cruyff Courts are part of the Open Clubs Football programme of The HollandBelgium Bid.

Cooperation with WorldCoaches

The Cruyff Court Orange Field Hillbrow is a collaboration between the players of the Dutch national team, the KNVB, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, the Dutch embassy in Johannesburg and the local Witwaterstand University and Madulammoho Housing Corporation.

Within the next few years, the court will be used for the activities of WorldCoaches, the international social programme of the KNVB which educates coaches together with local partners in developing countries. A WorldCoach trains and supervises the children during soccer activities, but also brings them ‘life skills’. He or she supports local young people and provides them information on important issues such as prevention of HIV / AIDS and crime. This is why the court is build next to the World Coaches office.