Former Dutch international and Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar kicks it around with the kids in the America SCORES New York program in West Harlem. (image source: christopher dobens)
Edwin van der Sar is a living legend. The Dutch international goalkeeper’s last game between the posts for Manchester United was the club’s 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the 2011 UEFA Champions League final. However, he did set a record that day, as the oldest player (40 years and 211 days at the time) to ever play in a Champions League final, but it was a bittersweet way to end a spectacular career.
Goalkeeping legend Edwin van der Sar enjoys some time in the field with the kids from America SCORES New York. (image source: christopher dobens)
Van der Sar won the Champions League twice, with both Ajax and Manchester United. He also won the Europa League twice, with Ajax and Fulham. He captured eight league titles – four with Ajax and another four with Manchester United – along with a UEFA Super Cup (with Ajax) and a FIFA Club World Cup (with Manchester United). Add a dozen other cups and trophies to that tally, and you realize that Van der Sar earned 26 titles during his 21 seasons as a pro.
Among his numerous honors, Van der Sar was named the Best European Goalkeeper four times and UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year twice. And though he never managed to win any championships as an international, his 130 caps for his country makes him the most-capped player in the history of the Dutch National Team.
Edwin van der Sar showing his footwork in the field on behalf of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. (image source: christopher dobens)
Van der Sar the Volunteer
Van der Sar has kept himself just as busy in retirement, volunteering his time to support a number of causes. His work as an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is what brought him to Harlem on Friday, Nov. 4, 2011.
Laureus supports programs around the world dedicated to using sports as a way to drive social change. Here in the US, the organization is working with Coach Across America, an AmeriCorps program launched by Up2Us to provide coaches for youth development programs that also use sport as a tool for social change. The training these coaches receive goes well-beyond the traditional skills, tactics, and strategy of the given sport to include things like health, nutrition, and advocacy. Coaches attended a training program which is supported in the field with an online video library.
As part of a new partnership, Laureus will be funding 115 of these coaching positions, about a third of which are coaches in youth soccer programs. According to Caitlin Barrett, the Program Coordinator for Coach Across America, several of those spots will be at America SCORES New York while others will be at the Downtown United Soccer Club’s City Soccer in the Community Program.
America SCORES New York site director Rob Uvanovic (l) and goalkeeping legend Edwin van der Sar (r) watching the kids play soccer in West Harlem. (image source: christopher dobens)
America SCORES New York
Barrett is quite familiar with America SCORES New York, as she was the program’s site director prior to joining Up2Us. America SCORES uses soccer, creative writing, and service-learning to empower students in underserved ubran communities. The values of sportsmanship and teamwork along with the creative expression that comes through writing poetry and playing soccer are used to help these kids lead healthier lifestyles, take more active roles in the classroom, and become agents of change in their communities. In New York City, the organization is working with 65 elementary and middle school students in West Harlem, helping these “poet-athletes” get 10 times the amount of exercise as their peers and while working towards their annual Poetry Slam on Nov. 18, 2011.
As part of Van der Sar’s visit, he kicked it around during scrimmages between two boys teams and two girls teams. As was the case when Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez played alongside youth from FC Harlem, the kids were hesitant to pass it to Van der Sar. But he was as elegant as he appeared on the professional pitch, using his charm to win over the kids and punctuating his constant encouragement with a few well-placed passes. And he was more than gracious with his time, posing for photos and signing autographs as well as answering questions and offering advice.
The culmination of the event was when select kids were invited to take a penalty shot against Van der Sar. Video clips of a few of those PKs are posted below, while all of them (of varying quality…both the kicks and the clips) can be found on our YouTube channel. Similarly, many more photos of the kids and Van der Sar can be found on our Facebook page.
Laureus Foundation Netherlands Chairman Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje (l), Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Director Ned Wills (c), and Laureus ambassador and windsurfing legend Robby Naish (r) answer questions from the kids. (image source: christopher dobens)
The Prince and the Wind Surfer
Van der Sar was joined by Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje, who is known to some as the Chairman of Laureus Foundation Netherlands, but most simply know him as one of the Princes of the Netherlands, being the third-oldest son of Princess Margriet, who is the younger sister of Queen Beatrix. He was also joined by Robby Naish, who won his first world windsurfing championship at age 13 – a mere two years after taking up the sport – and then proceeded to win 22 more. Few of the kids were familiar with windsurfing, but they dug the fact that Nash was from Hawaii.
Like Van der Sar, Naish kicked it around with some of the kids. The Prince, who was a goalkeeper in his youth, did not join them on the pitch. But he did answer several amusing questions from the kids afterwards (perhaps some confused him with Prince Boateng). And he will running the New York City Marathon with Van der Sar on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 to raise money for the Laureus Foundation Netherlands.
Edwin van der Sar watches from the wing as the America SCORES New York boys enjoy an aerial battle. (image source: christopher dobens)
Edwin van der Sar mixes it up with the America SCORES New York girls. (image source: christopher dobens)
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