Electric wheelchair soccer players sign with N.E.C.

Electric wheelchair soccer players sign with N.E.C.

On Wednesday, August 30, a new batch of twelve wheelchair soccer players signed with N.E.C. Nijmegen. With some familiar faces and a bunch of new talents, N.E.C. Social is continuing the electric wheelchair soccer project.

Two years ago, Thijs, then ten years old, expressed a dream of one day playing soccer himself. That sounds like an attainable dream, but for Thijs it is a little different. He suffers from a muscle disease that makes him wheelchair-bound. Playing soccer without being able to walk seems impossible, but nothing could be further from the truth. In England, the sport of electric wheelchair soccer is already widely practiced. The social branch of N.E.C. did not hesitate for a moment and committed itself to making Thijs’ dream come true, among other things. The Nijmegen club was the first professional soccer organization in the Netherlands to bring the sport to the country. With special electric wheelchairs and a larger, heavier, ball, the game could then really begin.

Now, a year later, the sport has proved such a success that N.E.C. is taking on a second batch of wheelchair soccer players. Also this season, a team will be formed who will train and play together. On Wednesday, August 30, the players ‘officially’ signed a contract with N.E.C. and may play the sport on behalf of the Nijmegen community. This year the Nijmegen club is not alone; the PSV Foundation will also be able to practice the sport.

“We as N.E.C. Societal are very proud that for the second year in a row we can offer soccer for this target group. It is incredibly beautiful to see how excited the players are now that they can finally play soccer, after not having this opportunity for years.”

Ivo Westerweele, Project Leader N.E.C. Societal