The city will soon boast of the “Cruyff Courts” where children of diversity will learn to play football, learn to respect, integrate with the under-privileged and take responsibility — all virtues incorporated in the Cruyff Foundation scheme of things.
The people involved in this project at the St. Xavier’s Football Ground, Parel are the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) and Cruyff Foundation.
“The Cruyff Courts help in the development of sport and talent besides teaching them (children) a lot about life and social responsibilities. We are happy to partner with the (MDFA) to build the first Cruyff Court in India. MDFA’s support will play a crucial role in the activation of the upcoming football field for the youth around,” said Carole Thate, General Manager, World of Johan Cruyff, after launching the project here on Monday.
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The Consul General of Netherlands, Geoffrey Van Leeuwen, Mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van er Laan, Mayor of Amstelveen, Mirjam Van ’T Veld and MDFA President Digambar Kandharkar were present at the launch.
Asia has three Cruyff Courts: at Kanazawa (Japan), Iskandar (Malaysia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). There are, in all, 33 such courts outside Netharlands. The unique football programme is named after the legendary Netherlands football star, Johan Cruyff.