Arsenal defender Jurriën Timber officially opened his own Cruyff Court today on the island of Curaçao. As the winner of the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year Award, the former Ajax star received a Cruyff Court named after him. His choice for a location was clear from the start: Curaçao, the island where his mother was born.
This new Cruyff Court give children and young people a safe space to play sports, have fun, and grow.
“Being here in Curaçao today to open a Cruyff Court means a lot to me. This is the island where my mother and my family come from. To be able to give the children here a safe place to play football and to give something back to the island makes me proud,” said Jurriën Timber at the opening.
A celebration with a Caribbean
The opening was a festive, Caribbean-style celebration – with colourful music from a local brass band, traditional food, and a joyful energy throughout place. Among the 300 guests were children from three nearby schools, people from the community, project partners, Minister van Heydoorn (Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport) and lots of family from Jurriën.
Following the official opening, Jurriën and his brothers Dylan and Christopher Timber kicked off an exciting match. The begining of lots of sporting moments to come on this new pitch.
Jurriën’s mother, Marilyn Timber, shared her pride: “I’ve seen firsthand what sport has done for my five boys. It gave them confidence and taught them resilience. This field offers the same chance for the children here.”
Timber coaching the children
Due to an injury, Timber couldn’t play himself – but that didn’t stop him from getting involved. From the sidelines, he coached the youngsters with enthusiasm and took plenty of time for the aspiring footballers. Together with his family, he handed out sports gear and clothing to the kids – from boots to signed Arsenal and Ajax shirts.
A place for all generations
The Cruyff Court is located next to Sentro di Bario Montaña, the local community centre. It’s a place that brings generations together. In addition to the football pitch, the site now also features a boules court and a calisthenics park.
Poppy, a board member at the community centre, spoke about its impact: “Under the Montaña sun, something special begins today. This is the first grass pitch in the heart of our neighbourhood – and we couldn’t be prouder!”
The Cruyff Court project was a joint effort involving the community centre, secondary school Maris Stella VSBO, sports leaders from Favala Street, and contractor CWM. And the pitch is just the start – local partners will now work together to organise regular sports activities and physical education, helping children and teens to keep learning and developing through play.
Talent of the Year
Jurriën Timber was awarded the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year prize at the Eredivisie Awards (2021–2022). He made history by becoming the first player ever to win both Talent of the Year and Eredivisie Player of the Year in the same season.
Since 2003, the Johan Cruyff Award has honoured the most promising football talent in Dutch football. With this award, Johan Cruyff aimed to give young players a push toward a brighter future – while encouraging them to give back to society in their own way.
Fotografie: Kyra Gök
Video: Michael Jessurun, Untold Stories
