Laureus Football Heroes: An introduction to “nutmeg” football with Edwin van der Sar
June 19, 2014
Football is on everyone’s mind at the moment. But far from Brazil in the heart of Holland there’s a very special form of the game that most fans will not have heard of.
It’s called Panna Knock Out, and it’s a little bit different from your standard football you’ll see being played at the World Cup in Brazil at the moment.
Panna Knock Out is a fascinating and fast growing sport in the Netherlands. And is described by the sport’s official website as: “a lightning-fast form of street football in which nutmegging your opponent is the ultimate goal! However, Panna Knock Out is about more than just nutmegs. It promotes social cohesion, an active lifestyle, personal development and participation in society.”
It is this sport for development aspect to the game that makes Laureus Ambassador and World Cup legend Edwin van der Sar so passionate about it… even if it isn’t the kind of football he plays himself.
He said: “Knock Out, is for the the younger generation. It isn’t my kind of football to be fair. They love to tease each other, to become the king of the football pitch. But we combine it with lessons in diet and how to perform and how to talk in a different way than the street language; if you are looking for a job and trying to connect them with employees and what to say and what not to say.
“These are small things, but they can make a change in somebody's life, whether it’s to hold on to a job or to get a chance to have a job in general. These are great things to achieve and hopefully all together we can achieve much more together.”
As a Laureus Ambassador Edwin dedicates his time to promoting the use of sport to help young people in need. But he recognises the work at Laureus-supported projects is not easy.
“It's not about getting everything for free or getting things easy. Same as being a footballer or an actor or something. It doesn't happen overnight and nothing is for free. You have to work for things if you want to keep dreams or you want to become this or that. Yeah, you really have to put a lot of time or effort in it to make it work.”
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