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Dennis Gyamfi, FC Den Bosch, our ambassador! | December 7, 2023

Dennis Gyamfi, FC Den Bosch, our ambassador!

Dennis Gyamfi ambassador for Youth Fund Sports & Culture

Dennis Gyamfi is the new ambassador for FC Den Bosch's Youth Fund for Sports & Culture 's-Hertogenbosch-Vught. Dennis plays for the club's first team as a defender. He succeeds Wouter van der Steen, who moved to Helmond Sport in the summer.

Dennis is 21 years old and has had an eventful life. His parents were born and raised in Ghana. They moved to the Netherlands, to Leiderdorp, where Dennis was born in 2001. His parents worked as cleaners, and there was little money at home. At age seven, Dennis joined the football club, Meerburg.

When Dennis was eight, in 2009, his family moved to London. His parents thought living expenses would be cheaper in England. They settled in the Hounslow district of London, near Brentford. These were also financially difficult years for Dennis's family. He proved to have football talent, as he was spotted by the Academy of Brentford FC, now a Premier League player.

Leicester City

In 2015, at the age of 14, Dennis joined Leicester City FC's academy. This club, where Gary Linneker once made a splash, had to pay a transfer fee of £250,000. His parents stayed behind in London, and Dennis was placed with a foster family in Leicester (Foster Parents).

He missed his parents terribly during that time and often felt homesick for London. He also missed his friends, school, and the neighborhood where he lived in London. He found it difficult living with his host parents because of the significant cultural differences. For example, regarding food and mealtimes (host parents 6:00 PM and Dennis 9:00 PM). Dennis played for Leicester City in the under-16, under-18, and under-23 teams. He was on the bench for the first team and trained alongside Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kanté, and Riyad Mahrez. Not bad names in top-level football!

In the mornings he went to school, and in the afternoons, Dennis was picked up from school by a chauffeur-driven car and driven to Leicester City's training ground. That gave him a good feeling. Dennis turned down an offer of a four-year contract because he didn't anticipate being in the first-team squad often.

Dynamo Zagreb

At the end of 2020, Dennis moved to Zagreb and started playing for Dynamo Zagreb. He had a good contract (three years) and played for a Champions League club. However, the club manager who brought him to Zagreb was convicted and went to prison. As a result, Dennis lost his starting spot. He played for the second team, including alongside current Feyenoord player Ivanušec. Ajax player Sutalo also played for Zagreb. Dennis lived in a beautiful penthouse, but he wasn't entirely happy in the city.

FC Den Bosch

Earlier this year, he was signed by FC Den Bosch. He turned down offers from better clubs because he wanted to play at his age no matter what. He feels happy at FC Den Bosch, although he regrets the lack of results. "Football is life," says Dennis, and it's difficult when things aren't going well for your club. But he hopes for better times. Otherwise, he enjoys Den Bosch and the Netherlands. Many of his immediate family (including his father, mother, sister, and nieces and nephews) live here, so he can visit them often. "Holland is my home," says Dennis.

Role model for children

Dennis has a wealth of life experience at a young age. He's been through a lot and matured faster than his peers. Dennis believes it's incredibly important for children to have access to sports and to join a sports club. It's been incredibly beneficial and has helped him develop. At the sports club, children learn to communicate, says Dennis. They learn how to win and lose, control their emotions, know other people, and interact with others. It ensures that children stay fit and healthy. At the club, you learn to be competitive, but you also learn to work together with others, says Dennis.

Of course, he said yes when FC Den Bosch asked him to become an ambassador for the Youth Fund. No matter how you look at it, FC Den Bosch is the leading professional sports organization in Den Bosch. That creates a strong image, including for children.

He wants to be a role model, a role model. Dennis feels he's more than just a football player. He wants to make a difference for people, for children who have fewer opportunities. Dennis wants to motivate, inspire, and enthuse children.

In recent years, Dennis has also been involved in charities in Kumasi, Ghana's second-largest city. Many of his relatives live there, often in impoverished circumstances. For example, during his time in Croatia, many football boots were sent to Ghana.