“Sports can bring so much beauty.”

Shanice van de Sanden is a striker for the Dutch women's national team, European Champion, player for Liverpool FC Women and ambassador for the Youth Fund for Sport & Culture.

Just kicking a ball can make you so happy. You don't even have to say anything. In sports, everyone understands you. Someone starts laughing, others are simply infected by that laughter. You learn how to lose, and how to cope with it. You learn how to lose together, how to win together, how to achieve a goal. That's all so valuable.

As a child, I never dreamed I'd achieve this. I didn't even know there was such a thing as the Women's Champions League, and I had no role models of female footballers I thought: that's what I want to be. I just wanted to be good "when I grow up." And now I'm someone girls dream about, someone they think: that's what I want to be! I don't fully grasp that.

When I'm on the training field, I'm happy. Still, every day. I've been able to turn my hobby into my job. That round ball has taken me everywhere, all over the world. From South Africa to Miami. You learn so much from it as a person. I've come a long way.

Children should be able to develop themselves as people. That's very important. And that's why they should have the opportunity to play sports, even if their parents don't have money."

Read more

Interview Shanice van de Sanden: In sports everyone understands you.

Follow Shanice

Facebook
Instagram: @svandesanden
Twitter: @ShaniceJanice