September 10, 2018

Shanice van de Sanden: 'In sports, everyone understands you'

Footballer Shanice van de Sanden, an Orange Lioness and player for Liverpool FC Women, is an ambassador for the Youth Fund for Sport & Culture. She explains why.

Always want to win

We played games with a tennis ball in the schoolyard every day during recess. I was in seventh or eighth grade. I don't think I was particularly good, because I hadn't played soccer for a club yet. Still, the boys asked me to join, and I simply said yes. I was incredibly fanatical, always wanting to win, every game. Sometimes we played matches against other schools, and then I was even more fanatical, of course.

More than just football

Our neighbor signed me up for VVIJ, a football club in IJsselstein. I'd never done that myself; I mostly stayed indoors, behind the computer and on the phone. Strangely enough, I loved it from the very first training session. I don't know why. The club was more than just football; we all hung out after training, and it was really fun. I met new people and quickly made new friends.

Things took off quickly with football too. Within a few years, I was playing for clubs like FC Utrecht, SC Heerenveen, and FC Twente. But I wasn't immediately very good. Yes, I scored a lot at IJsselstein, but my main strength was my speed, my ability to outrun everyone and deliver good crosses. I had to work incredibly hard to truly become a better footballer. And I still do, every day, every training session. That hard work is ingrained in me. I inherited it from our mother. We have six children at home, and she always had to work incredibly hard for us. And she still does, by the way."

Through rain and snow

My brother and sister and I delivered newspapers to 3,000 homes in IJsselstein for years. We all had to work to make ends meet. My mother, but so did we as children. That's how I learned the value of money from a young age. We never lacked anything at home: I had the football boots I liked, the clothes—that was never a problem. But I also knew how many hours I'd spent delivering newspapers through the rain and snow for those beautiful football boots.

We learned to never give up, to enjoy the little things, to be positive. At VVIJ, I had trainers who were also very positive, who gave me a lot of confidence as a child. That was great, because if someone else believes in you, who are you to say you don't believe in yourself?

Going to the club alone

I was the only one in the family who played football seriously. We watched it on TV, my brother had a season ticket for FC Utrecht, and three brothers played for a club for a few years, but football wasn't really a family affair. So no one came to watch my games. Not even my mother. It just wasn't possible; everyone was far too busy with their own lives, with work. So I went to the club alone, by bike, or I'd ride along with someone.

Although I did see all the other parents on the sidelines, I never missed my mom in those situations; I was perfectly happy with how things were. We were so close as a team that we did everything together. I even became friends with the other parents. Rides were always available; that wasn't a problem.

To be honest, I never talked to my mother about it, but I don't think she found it difficult that she couldn't come visit. She did see that I always came home happy. And that's the most important thing as a parent, I think, to see that your child is happy.

Happiness on the training field

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."

Sports can bring so much beauty, just look at me. I've experienced so many wonderful things, met so many kind people who have helped me. Because you really can't do it all alone; you need help. All those good people have made me stronger, and that's all thanks to my sport. I want that for every child.

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