Inspiring interview with Elke Oost from DOCK about Football Memories

Inspiring interview with Elke Oost from DOCK about Football Memories

Elke Oost, an employee of DOCK, is also involved in organising Excelsior Football Memories. DOCK is a large welfare organisation that is responsible for preventive daycare in the Rotterdam districts ‘Kralingen’ and ‘Crooswijk’. Elderly work is also part of this. That is where the link to the Football Memories project of the Excelsior Foundation lies. In this inspiring interview, Elke Oost talks openly about the project and her experiences so far.

”I ended up at Excelsior Football memories more or less by chance. The Excelsior Foundation had contacts with welfare organisations and therefore also with DOCK. When Football Memories came up and I had space in my working week, I became the ‘lucky one’. The fact that I am into football in any case must have helped.”

Working in football, which is mainly a man’s world, can be hard sometimes. However, Oost experiences this very differently.

”To be honest, I find it easier to work with men than with women. It’s fine. Moreover, I have a husband and two sons. The boys are crazy about gliding. Within the world of gliding, which is mainly a man’s world, I do some voluntary work.”

Elke Oost has been active with Football Memories for about two years now. There are numerous things that she still founds special about it everyday.

”In the first place the group dynamics that are created. It’s great how people quickly and easily find each other and interact. Excelsior itself plays an important role.

You feel at home immediately, the club gives you a bit of a family feeling. You are very quickly taken in.

”From the beginning, we decided not to focus on football memories only. But also on the history of the neighbourhoods and the city. And on memories that arise when it comes to (Rotterdam) music, for example. In addition, we focus not only on people with a mild memory problem but also on lonely seniors in the neighbourhoods around us. […] I hope that the highest highlight is still to come. We have small, weekly meetings, with a group of people who visibly enjoy being together and the activities of Football Memories. And once every six weeks or so there is a big event. All meetings are on Tuesday mornings at Woudestein and are always successful.”

The big gatherings, in particular, generate interest and publicity. The snowball effect is becoming more noticeable. I think that in our part of society we have become ‘indispensable’ in a certain sense in a short time. And I sincerely hope that it will be able to continue for a long time.