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Friesland | November 28, 2019

Intermediary Menco: “I see what sport does to children”

Menco Van der Weg is a community sports coach at "Scoring for Health" in Heerenveen. His ambition? To get as many people as possible, young and old, moving. Menco is also an intermediary for the Youth Fund SPort & Culture so that children from low-income families can also participate. "I I believe that every neighborhood sports coach or physical education teacher should be an intermediary.” 

We meet in the gymnasium of a primary school in Heerenveen, where Menco van der Weg is teaching gym and supervising two students. "Sports have always played an important role in my life," Menco explains. "I always played soccer and played outside a lot. In our village, it was a given that you played soccer. Sports are fun and healthy, too; I really enjoy them. That's why I'm glad I was able to make it my career."

Sports are not something to be taken for granted

It's not a given that children participate in sports. There can be all sorts of reasons for this. why children don't participate. “When I start working at a primary school, I take inventorythere i first Which children play sports? If they don't, I find out why. Children may not be sure what they want, so we ensure they can get acquainted with different sports, for example, through an open day. With some children, you suspect that there is one financial stumbling block. Some children simply tell me, but if they suspect it, I ask the class teacher to talk to the parents. We usually quickly discover that there's no money. I can then act as an intermediary to set the initial course of action. Together with the parents, we determine which sports club suits the child and I ask if the child could join in sometime. I know all the sports clubs, so that's never a problem. If the child is enthusiastic, I make a request." 

Practice is sometimes stubborn

"Applying is quick and easy, and hassle-free. However, I sometimes spend more time on it because there's usually more going on in the families I deal with. And sometimes things go wrong with registering with the association, for example, if the parents don't speak Dutch well. In that case, I make sure That it still works out because I really want that child to play sports. In practice, things can be a bit tricky sometimes." 

All my colleagues have to be intermediaries

Menco believes it is important that every child can participate in sports. “Hit is one of the most important things I can do for a child,” he says. "I see what it does to children. They gain more self-confidence, you can see the joy radiating from them, they always want to tell you that they scored or went to the club. Emily, who started playing ice hockey last year. When I ask her about ice hockey, I see something happening in her face. It's beautiful. Recently, she was player of the week and got to carry the flag at a real game. If you look at the photo's sees, It gives you goosebumps. If this hadn't been discussed with the father, it never would have happened. We also give Information for all sports clubs to make them aware that they can help families. If a child suddenly stops showing up, they can call us. and we go after it. 

Ik find that every neighborhood sports coach or physical education teacher intermediary must be. Together be able to weatherto ensure that all children can participate.”

Become an intermediary now!

Father Klaas is the sole caregiver for his two daughters. The youngest, Emily (10), plays ice hockey, and the older one dances. He sees the children flourish thanks to their clubs. (Photo: DSPhotography)

Also read Emily's story