Between the entrance of Erasmus Sport and In de Smitse, there’s a special space in the Hatta building. A green football mat on the floor and large images of De Kuip and former football player Giovanni van Bronckhorst decorate the walls. Next to it, the youngest students on the campus are seated. They are the participants of the SV Gio program, the foundation by the current Feyenoord coach. For twelve weeks, they receive lessons in sports, language and mathematics.
“With this program, Van Bronckhorst wants to give back to the community,” says Floor de Vries, Sociology student at the EUR and trainer at SV Gio. These children not only get regular lessons here, but also lessons in self-development. “This way, we hope that these children can build a better and more beautiful future.”
“I learn a lot here,” says 11-year-old Soufian Akarkach Darghal, one of the kids in the program. “I learned that I shouldn’t be ashamed of who I am. I also learned to make good choices.”
