‘If you saw how happy the people were with our help, that was incredible’
On World Friendship Day, EFDN Members NEC Nijmegen and OFI Crete FC met each other in a preseason friendly. Two Dutch players of OFI Crete FC explained how the process of making new friends goes when you start playing abroad at a club where you know no one. They also shared their experiences of how it is to participate in CSR-related activities.
Mike Van Duinen (OFI Crete FC) ‘It’s a small effort for us and brings lots of happiness to the people‘
EFDN: What does friendship mean when you start playing for a foreign club. Do you have to start from zero to get to know people and build up friendships?
Mike Van Duinen: ‘In my case, I did not know anyone when I signed with OFI Crete FC. I knew that a few Dutchmen were playing here. Then you quickly have a connection with them as a Dutchman abroad. It is nice when you already know people and you can build something together.’
How fast does it go as a football player? You probably live in a kind of bubble of training and matches.
‘It goes really fast and that is also due to the other guys in the team. Everybody helped me a lot. It is nice that the Dutch guys who were already here supported me and showed me the way. I can only be very grateful for that.’
It is not the first time you move to another club. Is it possible for a player to build many friendships outside of football?
‘If you get on well with people, you build that friendship anywhere. That happens with players and people at or around the club. If you have a good click, you will also spend a lot of time with these people outside of football life. Then you build up a friendship relatively quickly.’
What is it like to be involved in CSR actions?
‘I always think it’s just a small effort and as a football player, you are often a kind of role model. It is precisely at those moments that you can do something good for society. It may sound strange but when people see footballers they get excited. That’s fun for us and it’s a small effort to do something for a good cause and brings a lot of joy and happiness.’
Boy Waterman: ‘If you saw how happy the people were with our help, that was incredible’
EFDN: How do you build a new life as a foreigner when you move to a new club?
Boy Waterman: ‘Actually, it’s the same way it works everywhere when you move. When you’re a child and you don’t have any friends yet, you get to know other children through your parents, family or school. It’s the same when you start at a club. There are people involved who help you with housing, schools for your children and so you meet new people. That’s how you build relationships and make friends. I made friends in football, with players, but I think you make the most friends with people outside the sport. If I speak for my wife and myself, we have made very good friendships with people with whom we will be in contact for the rest of our lives. We always say the family you get and the friends you choose. You make friends everywhere.’
Are such friendships easier to develop in a more open and warm culture such as Crete?
‘The people on Crete are much friendlier and extremely hospitable. Why is that, then? Maybe it’s the weather. People are more cheerful and wake up happy! Tourism is economically very important for the island so people are nicer to foreign tourists anyway. It’s in their culture, people can stay for dinner. Everyone is welcome. If you are invited somewhere and you spontaneously bring another friend then that is fine because this person belongs to you. The Cretans are indeed very open, and so are the people who work at the club. That is very special. We as the Dutch – who live more on our own and are hastier – can learn a lot from that. In the Netherlands, there are already differences in that. If you see where I come from (Lelystad) and where my wife comes from, from the province of Limburg in the south, then the people there are already friendlier than in the bigger cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam. I had a good time at all my clubs, but PSV stands out in the Netherlands. The people there were also very warm.’
Were there any social projects that touched you?
‘I think you have to participate in something that you support, that suits you. You have to stand behind it yourself. Actually, that is almost always the case with charity projects. Last year, we helped with the floods in Hersonissos on Crete. Personally, I thought we could have done more. If you saw how much work had to be done and if you saw how happy the people were that we came to help for a few hours, that was incredible. We dredged through the mud because people’s houses were flooded with water. They had lost all their belongings. That you can help a little and see the joy in such a situation is very satisfying.’
Find here the EFDN Players practitioners guide
