The legacy of Johan Cruyff and Pele lives on as the 300th Cruyff Court opens in Santos, Brazil, to help the vulnerable community there.
The Johan Cruyff Foundation has opened the Cruyff Court Pele in Santos in a touching ceremony that paid tribute to two footballing legends.
This new facility marks the milestone opening of the 300th Cruyff Court in the world and is set to make a significant impact in Dique da Vila Gilda, one of the most socially vulnerable neighbourhoods in Santos.
The legacy of Johan Cruyff and Pele lives on as the 300th Cruyff Court opens in Santos
Susila Cruyff, the daughter of Johan Cruyff and board member of the Cruyff Foundation, attended the opening event, which was a festive and enthusiastic celebration of the favela that saw local children take part in a football match.
Santos, home to Santos FC – one of Brazil’s most storied clubs and where Pele and other greats of the game plied their trade – was chosen as the setting for the latest Cruyff Court.
The result of a collaboration between the Cruyff Foundation, the UEFA Foundation for Children and the Pele Foundation, the new facility will cater for children and young people from local neighbourhoods who are directly affected by the lack of socio-educational activities in the favela, which is the largest stilt community in Latin America.
The facility will help those affected by the lack of socio-educational activities in the favela
Susila Cruyff spoke about how the Cruyff Court Pele will benefit kids and youngsters for whom sport is not a guaranteed part of life.
“My father always had a special connection with Pelé, and it’s either through luck or coincidence that we’re here opening the 300th Cruyff Court in their names. Both came from a similar background, they started playing on the streets, they were self-made footballers and still live on in people’s memories as legends. They can be a great inspiration for this area. We really believe this court could be a life-changing experience for these kids and something positive for the community.”
A Cruyff Court is a social platform that uses sport and Johan Cruyff’s 14 rules to provide children and young people with integral development, inclusion and citizenship training and an opportunity to broaden their prospects for a balanced socio-affective future, based on respectful relationships developed in a safe environment.
The Cruyff Foundation runs projects in more than 20 countries worldwide. In this particular project, 14 local coaches received training to become Cruyffian coaches during a two-day course that taught them all about Johan Cruyff’s philosophy.
The legacy of football legends Johan Cruyff and Pele continues beyond their death
This project sees the Cruyff Foundation partner with the Instituto Plataforma Brasil – IPB, a non-profit civil society organisation that encourages young people to take on leading roles in transforming the communities where they live.
“It is a dream coming true to be able to give to the community this space to enjoy, to play, and to forget for a moment all the challenges of daily life,” said Joelke Offringa.
“To offer the best possible to who needs this most provokes a movement of change that has the Cruyff Court as a starting point and expands from there on. That way, it is possible to make a contribution to the personal development of the kids of the community and to a more just society. That is wonderful.”
