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North Holland | January 28, 2021
At Groen Geel we take care of each other
Agnes van der Weide is an active member of the Groen Geel Wormer korfball club. You could call her a true Groen Geel member, as she has been dedicated to the club for 45 years. And she's not alone. The entire Van der Weide family is a typical korfball family. At Groen Geel, they don't just look after each other. Agnes also ensures that children from low-income families can become members. Thanks to the excellent collaboration between the Youth Fund for Sports & Culture and Groen Geel, no fewer than 13 children who would otherwise not have been able to participate were able to play korfball last season.
"I discovered korfball 45 years ago through my husband," says Agnes. "He was already active as a player and behind the scenes at Groen Geel. When I married him, I also married the club. As a Catholic girl, it was in my heart."
I wasn't used to playing korfball, but it quickly became clear that I could play a role in the organization and administration. I've done everything from competition secretary to contact person to setting up a clothing committee. We now have four children and eight grandchildren. Our children are also real Green Gelers All four of them played for Groen Geel and were also active behind the scenes. This is still the case. Many activities for young people are organized around school korfball. This is one of the reasons why many children are drawn to korfball. Not only for the sport itself, but also for the atmosphere and camaraderie. Lots of couples meet at the parties.
Intermediary for the Youth Fund
"I've been retired since January," says Agnes. "I worked in the administration of a primary school and was also an intermediary for the Youth Fund. Because of that, I'm intimately familiar with poverty issues. I spoke with parents who had little money, helped them fill out forms for the municipality, and also submitted applications to the Youth Fund for them. I was also involved in establishing the Youth Fund in Wormer and worked closely with the municipality to simplify the application form for parents. At Groen Geel, the Youth Fund paid the membership fee, and the remaining amount was used to buy sportswear at a local sports shop. Ideally, the municipality's Social Affairs Department would inform people about the Youth Fund when they were applying for benefits."
More resilient
I see children grow after being members for a while. They learn to work together, win, lose, and take the brunt of things. They become more resilient. This also benefits them in society. It's also very important in the context of good citizenship. It's very important for society that children play sports. In Wormer, our Pentecost camps are a well-known tradition, as are all sorts of theme parties at the club. Wormer is a multicultural community where sports aren't a given for everyone. At Groen Geel, children from non-Dutch backgrounds play korfball. At Groen Geel, we care for each other, and the parents know that. They make new friends and play outside together all day long. Very valuable.
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