CHILDREN OF ST. EUSTATIUS CAN PLAY ON REFURBISHED CRUYFF COURTS AGAIN

On Tuesday May 14th, the Cruyff Court in Oranjestad, on the island of St. Eustatius, was reopened. This week, the focus is on sporting activities in the Dutch Caribbean, because the Cruyff Court on St. Maarten will also be reopened on Friday and the Cruyff Foundation Coach Training was launched on Monday May 13th. With these Cruyff Courts and Cruyff Foundation Coaches Training, the Cruyff Foundation creates a safe space to participate in sports and play for children and young people in the Dutch Caribbean, enabling them to grow by being active.
Under the watchful eye of the Dutch State Secretary for “Health, Welfare and Sport ” Paul Blokhuis and Cruyff Foundation ambassadors Anouk Hoogendijk and Hamilton Richardson, the Cruyff Court on St. Eustatius was reopened today. After twelve years of intensive use, it was in need of refurbishing. This renovation and upgrade include the construction of a roof over the court that will allow more stakeholders to make use of the Cruyff Court. This refurbishment was made possible by the “Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the UEFA Foundation for Children, the Public Entity of St. Eustatius, and TenCate Grass.”
The State Secretary of “Health, Welfare and Sport” opened the refurbished Cruyff Court together with Niels Meijer, director of the Cruyff Foundation. The Cruyff Court is literally situated at the heart of sports and play of St. Eustatius. This is why the Caribbean Sports and Prevention agreement , that is aimed at promoting sports and physical activity in the Dutch Caribbean, was also signed on the Sonny Cranston Ball Park between Deputy Government Commissioner, Mervyn Stegers on behalf of the Public Entity St. Eustatius and Paul Blokhuis, State secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport.
The Cruyff Foundation Coaches Course was also launched on St. Eustatius on Monday May 13th and culminate on Friday May 16th. Various sports employees from the Dutch Caribbean are being trained to become Cruyff Foundation Coaches. This course is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and gives the coaches the tools to engage more young people with the activities on the Cruyff Court and in their community as Heroes of the Cruyff Courts. Together with the KNVB World Coaches, the Cruyff Foundation Coaches will start working on making sport more accessible in the Dutch Caribbean.
Thanks to a contribution of Signify, the Cruyff Courts in the Dutch Caribbean now also have lighting around the pitch. With the Cruyff Foundation Coaches and the lighting, the Cruyff foundation makes the Cruyff Courts a safe place to play, both in the daytime and in the evening.