NEC Maatschappelijk Organises Alternative Sport Heroes Challenge

NEC Maatschappelijk Organises Alternative Sport Heroes Challenge

NEC Maatschappelijk, the foundation arm of Dutch club NEC Nimjegen, welcomed five special education schools to a livestream from their classrooms for the alternative Sport Heroes Challenge kick-off. Rico Verhoeven and wheelchair basketball player Mattijs Bellers were involved in the session as students enthusiastically participated in the virtual sports sessions alongside Stichting Koprol, PUUR! Dans, GTV de Hazenkamp and IkBenIkDoe Foundation on Wednesday 23 September.

For several years now, NEC Maatschappelijk, together with Unique Sports and Special Heroes, has been organising a dazzling sports day for children in special education. Every year more than 200 children participate in various sports clinics provided by associations from Nijmegen and the surrounding area. Like so many events, the Sport Heroes Challenge @ NEC has also been seriously affected by the coronavirus. The organisation has therefore developed an alternative programme for participating schools allowing children to play sports actively.

“As an organisation, we have always worked hard for the children. They deserve a fun sporting activity and that certainly succeeded during this edition! As far as I am concerned, this afternoon was a success with lots of nice reactions from the children,” said NEC Social’s Paul Heldens about the Sport Heroes Challenge @ NEC. His sentiments were echoed by Erik Groenen, Adapted sports coordinator at Unique Sports: “It was difficult to remain positive during the process towards this activity afternoon, because there was constant doubt about the continuation of the activity. In the end we are very happy with this result and all those happy faces of the children. It makes this day a great success, and I want to compliment the HAN interns for organising it!”

The partners look forward to organising another physical edition of the Sport Heroes Challenge @ NEC next year.