CAFE appoint Edgar Davids to Board

CAFE appoint Edgar Davids to Board

Our Partners CAFE have announced that former Netherlands international Edgar Davids has joined the CAFE Board of Directors.

The midfielder, who won 74 caps for the Netherlands, has pledged his support to the work CAFE are doing, as well as outlining his belief in a game that is accessible, welcoming and inclusive for all.  Davids is regarded as one of the greatest and most recognisable players of his generation and his new role on the CAFE Board of Directors will help to provide much greater exposure for Total Football #TotalAccess.

Nicknamed ‘The Pitbull’ by former manager Louis van Gaal, Davids has great tenacity and passion for inclusion and is a huge advocate of the unique power that football has to change lives.  He experienced this power first hand at the third International CAFE Conference 2018 in Bilbao, joining Athletic Club legend Carlos Gurpegui to present the first ever CAFE Access and Inclusion Champions Awards.

While having a long and successful career on the pitch, off of the pitch, Davids has a long-standing interest in equality and inclusion.  In 2007, he co-founded Straatvoetbalbond Nederland (SVBN), the Dutch street soccer federation, striving to bring about better cohesion and education in less-privileged, multi-cultural areas of the Netherlands through football.  He is also a co-founder of Parc des Rêves, working to create multi-functional sports pitches in underprivileged neighbourhoods across the world.

CAFE Managing Director Joanna Deagle said, “The CAFE Directors are delighted to welcome Edgar to the Board. Edgar’s popularity within the game, twinned with his genuine passion for equality and inclusion, means that he will be an invaluable asset to the team. We look forward to working together for many years to promote the many different roles that disabled people can play within the game”.

Following his appointment to the CAFE board, Davids posted on Instagram “From today I joined CAFE as a board director! We try to include everybody into the football stadiums”. The photograph has already received over 5000 likes and many messages of congratulations from his global fan base.

Centre for Access to Football in Europe (CAFE) is a non-profit organisation working with supporters, clubs and governing bodies towards providing a more accessible and inclusive match day experience for disabled supporters across Europe.