Dutch and soccer

A pitch, a coach, young players of different mother tongues and a Dutch-speaking football club: not always the easiest of combinations.

When the coach gives instructions in Dutch, some of the children cannot always follow.
Conducting training sessions in French is no alternative, because then those with little French are excluded. And some children who do speak French come to this particular team to practice their Dutch.

So switching systematically to French is no solution for coaches.

But how do you explain something in Dutch to someone who does not have such a good grasp of that language? Should you repeat the explanation until he does? Shouldn’t you switch to French?

As of 2011, the Dutch Language House of Brussels and the football club Ritterklub Jette will join forces to help coaches use more Dutch on and around the pitch. We are working together on realistic solutions to the practical problems that coaches face.

This approach is part of “Kort op de bal” (literally “close to the ball,” or being responsive) – a project of Jes Stadslabo Brussel. More information? Visit www.jes.be or their Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/kortopdebal.