Fourty-eight of the football – or soccer – tournaments and six regional finals are being organized through the partnership between KNVB and Albert Heijn. They will take place at Albert Heijn locations across the Netherlands.
The tournaments kicked off on April 22 and will run until early June. A national final will be played on Dam Square in the heart of Amsterdam on July 4.
Two well-known athletes – Feynoord soccer club team member Diego Bisewar and Anouk Hoogendijk of FC Utrecht and the Dutch women’s national team were on hand to cheer the players on. They also gave demonstrations of their football skills and had their photos taken with the children.
Former international player Richard Witschge also took part in the day, handing out medals to the winning teams. “It’s great to see just how many kids are taking part and how enthusiastic they all are,” he said.
Shared goals
Albert Heijn and Unilever – the owner of the Calvé brand – share similar goals. Both want to encourage children to exercise more and raise public awareness about the value of good health and vitality.
Albert Heijn and Unilever want to reinforce their social commitment and both companies have a strong relationship with football: Albert Heijn through its links with the Premier League and Unilever through its sponsorship of KNVB.
Calvé peanut butter has for many years been linked with football. The sport is the focus of a number of peanut butter commercials.
“With KNVB Calvé street football we can show youngsters just how much pleasure they can get from a small game of football. With these tournaments we can get around 40,000 kids exercising,” says Harry Brouwer, Unilever director. “In Albert Heijn we have found a partner that will actively bring us into contact with many families.”
Albert Heijn takes the football theme even further with its Unilever partnership. “Albert Heijn really wants to play an active role in improving health,” says Dick Boer, Albert Heijn President and CEO.
“A healthy life goes further than simply eating healthily: sport and exercise also play an important role. Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands and is therefore an attractive sport for Albert Heijn to be associated with. In this way, each and every Albert Heijn store will have a positive impact on its neighbourhood by organising local activities. The street football tournaments are a good example of how all these things can be done.”