‘Scoring for the Community’ initiated by FC Twente

‘Scoring for the Community’ initiated by FC Twente

FC Twente organized all kinds of fun activities for senior citizens as part of the program under the collective name ‘Heya de Keu’ with Eddy Achtenberg, a former football player of FC Twente.

Somewhere in the 1980s, FC Twente supporter Hedy Wijma decided one day to take a thermos flask of coffee with her to the FC Twente training pitch. Hedy treated the ‘technical committee’ of FC Twente, who never missed a training session in all weathers, and who mostly consisted of retired supporters, with a cup of coffee. It is the beginning of a long tradition that is still going strong today. Het Diekman is no longer there but Hedy still treats ‘her’ men with a cup of coffee and a beer on Thursday afternoons at De Grolsch Veste.

In 2005, ‘Scoring for the community’ was linked with FC Twente and the club started to take its social role in Twente seriously. The first senior project started in the Berflo Es in Hengelo, where neighbourhood residents remained active in the established FC Twente football choir after a theatre performance. They have been singing together and rehearsing weekly for more than ten years. The men and women of the choir perform regularly, and rehearsals are well-attended.

Lloyd Rooks and Theo Pahlplatz started an ‘FC Twente’ discussion club with a group of older supporters from the neighbourhood in 2011. These men also have a great time with Lloyd, and still meet twice a month to talk about football and everyday things. For the residents of the nursing homes ‘De Schatkist van FC Twente’ (The Treasure Chest of FC Twente) is created. For ten years a group of volunteers with a mobile ‘FC Twente museum’ have been visiting the homes to entertain the residents with (mildly demented) dementia in a nostalgic atmosphere with stories and songs.

Former FC Twente goalkeeper Eddy Pasveer started a few years ago with three elderly men, with special gymnastics exercises to keep the men fit. By now, some 50 participants in their late eighties report to Sportclub Enschede every week to take part in ‘Bewegen in Balans’.

In 2021, the last senior project of Scoring for the Community started, under the name ‘Heya de Keu’. Under the flag of FC Twente, and with Eddy Achterberg as the driving force, older FC Twente supporters in Enschede, Hengelo, Glanerbrug, Oldenzaal and Haaksbergen play billiards fanatically every week together. The sociability and the attention for each other are the most important ingredients for the participants. It is important to remain active ‘in old age’ and to continue to participate in society.