Club Brugge launches new Football Memories project

In the presence of Mayor Dirk De Fauw, Alderman for Welfare Pieter Marechal and Alderman for Culture Nico Blontrock, the newest Foundation project Football Memories was presented recently. Club legend Raoul Lambert was the first to discover the sports bag full of football memories. The football bag is meant to help caregivers and care teams to remind seniors with (early) dementia of the rich football history of their favourite club, EFDN member Club Brugge.

Football bag full of club memories

Football Memories is a project that originated in Scotland and the Netherlands. Football Memories means retrieving football memories together, stimulating the brain and thus combating dementia. That is the essence of the Football Memories project of Club Brugge Foundation. Elderly people meet each other in a safe and quiet environment and, under supervision, reminisce together. At the same time, the project combats loneliness in the Bruges community, because football has the ability – like no other sport – to involve, bring together and connect people. This year Club Brugge celebrates its 130th anniversary. 130 years, countless victories, but above all a magnificent football history. Based on this history, Club Brugge Foundation has put together a sports bag full of unique football memories.

“Since 1891, Club Brugge and its fans have experienced many memorable moments. From the legendary Happel period to the European remontances under Houwaart, the double under Broos or the type play during the Sollied era. Every generation of supporters has its own highlight. But football history is so much richer than titles and trophies. The real football stories are engraved in the memory of the fans. With the Football Memories project, we want to bring back authentic memories with a carefully selected selection of football memorabilia.” says Peter Gheysen, Head of Foundation at Club Brugge.  “As Club Brugge Foundation, we are proud that, in addition to our numerous Stadium Tours and our Club Museum at the Jan Breydel Stadium, we can use our Club history for this social purpose with Football Memories.”

“Collecting football memories together,” explains Alderman for Welfare Pieter Marechal, “that is the essence of Football Memories. Elderly people can meet each other around the rich football history of their favourite Bruges football team. Reminiscence reinforces self-esteem and a sense of identity. This is also important for elderly people suffering from dementia. Their orientation in the present often no longer works so well, but they still have a lot to say about the past.

Football Memories for the loyal twelfth man

Football Memories focuses primarily on elderly people who are in danger of losing their connection with society. Most participants struggle with loneliness and/or (early) dementia. Of the 2,229,121 Belgians over 65 years old, some 200,000 are currently battling dementia. Figures that show an upward trend. A trend that Club Brugge wants to counteract. Football is a unifying factor, made great by the loyal supporters who have been the biggest motivators off the pitch for years. The twelfth man, who always gave the team extra support when needed.

Today it is up to the club to motivate and encourage their faithful twelfth man. At Football Memories, participation and inclusion are key: to (continue to) participate fully in society. By reminiscing together in a familiar environment, the project contributes to the quality of life of the participants.

Football Memories in a dementia-friendly Brugge

Looking back to the past. An important activity to support and stimulate the communication, thinking skills and emotional wellbeing of older people.

The sports bag gives participants the opportunity to reminisce in a ready-made way. Using items, material cards, photo cards, videos and audio files. Elderly people and their carers can work with these materials in a targeted way. It offers them a structured guide, but ultimately it is the participants who determine the content of the activity.

Mayor Dirk De Fauw: “The Football Memories bags want to be a source of inspiration for anyone who engages in conversation with elderly people. Football Memories also fits in with a Dementia Friendly Bruges in which we want to create an atmosphere of solidarity and joint commitment between generations. Through our Heritage Service in Bruges, we have been focusing on reminiscence for years, stimulating people to spontaneously or consciously recall memories. Using old films, photos or objects from the past, people are encouraged to tell their story.”

Collaboration

This project is an initiative of ‘Bruges revolves around People’ in collaboration with Erfgoedcel Brugge, Cercle Brugge Community and Club Brugge Foundation. They are convinced that football is more than just playing games and scoring goals. It is striving together for a better society. A society where inclusion and diversity are celebrated and where we leave out loneliness and dementia. Only by working together can they invest optimally in the physical and mental health of the many Bruges supporters.

Future plans for the project

Football Memories, a project in the starting blocks with great potential. Today it is still a mobile sports bag with football memorabilia, but the foundation hopes to give this project an even bigger base in the future. Then, when physical gatherings are allowed again, they think for example of memory sessions in the Jan Breydel Stadium in the Club Museum. Football Memories can be borrowed free of charge from February onwards via the Heritage Unit of the City of Bruges.