With 12 Cruyff Courts already in place across Witherslack Group schools, we are now entering a new phase in our partnership as we strengthen collaboration and create even more positve impact together.
Next step in Witherslack Group and Cruyff Foundation partnership
United by a shared belief in the power of sport to support the development of children, it felt natural for the Cruyff Foundation and Witherslack Group, the UK's leading education provider for children and young people with special educational needs, to join forces. Through this extended partnership, the Cruyff Foundation and schools across the Group will work together to embed the Cruyff coaching philosophy, deliver inspiring Coaching Days that help pupils build confidence, skills and self-belief, and create new Cruyff Courts - providing welcoming spaces where children can move, play and connect.
Miranda van Holstein Senior Projectmanager at the Cruyff Foundation says: "Witherslack Group has been involved in the development of the Cruyff Foundation in the United Kingdom from the very beginning in 2018. Making this collaboration official through a partnership is an important step for us. Together, we can create even greater impact within specialist education, ensuring that children with special educational needs also have the opportunity to develop through sport and, above all, enjoy it."
Jude Jones, CEO at Witherslack Group "Our partnership with the Cruyff Foundation has already enriched the experiences of pupils and teams across our schools nationwide. The introduction of state-of-the-art Cruyff Courts has given our children and young people incredible spaces to play, connect and grow. Building on this success is the next step and we're proud to be committing our support to the Foundation's work across the UK by becoming one of their official partners."
Cruyff Courts and football stars inspiring pupils
Cruyff Courts are all weather, artificial multi-sport pitches that create space for children to move, play and connect. Inspired by the vision of Johan Cruyff, the Cruyff Foundation believes that sport does more than improve physical health. It brings children together, builds confidence and supports mental wellbeing. The Courts provide a safe and inspiring environment for sport and play, both during physical education classes and school breaks.
The Cruyff Courts are often opened with and named after football stars such as Liverpool legend Virgil van Dijk, Jackie Groenen, who was playing for Manchester United at the time, former Engeland and Arsenal legend Kelly Smith. These opening celebrations leave children feeling inspired as they listen to players share their own stories of success, and how sport helped them grow, build confidence, and connect with others.
Virgil van Dijk, who also is a Cruyff Foundation ambassador played on a Cruyff Court himself when he was a child. Commenting on the opening Virgil said to the children: "This Cruyff Court will help you in multiple ways; As a football player and especially as a human being. You'll have to deal with teamwork, losing, defending, winning. You'll benefit and enjoy it!"
Impact by '14 Rules' and coaching
The collaboration goes far beyond the construction of Cruyff Courts. Teachers now take part in the Cruyffian Course, where they work with the philosophy and mindset of Johan Cruyff and learn how to apply these principles in their daily teaching practice.
Miranda van Hosltein explains: "We are really proud to see that 'The 14 Rules of Johan Cruyff' also play an important role within each school. They provide guidance for both teachers and pupils and contribute to a positive and safe learning environment. Rules sush as 'Respect' and 'Play together' are held in high regard and form the foundation for playing together, learning together and growing together.
One of the first steps of the partnership will be to bring the Cruyff Foundation's Coaching approach into classrooms. Jude Jones, CEO at Witherslack Group commented "This will give pupils and staff alike even more opportunities to gain new skills, develop confidence and feel empowered, ready for our pupils' next steps into further education and employment. The dedicated Coaching Days will complement our existing work to raise aspirations and broaden the opportunites available to our young people"
Virtual coaching by Kelly Smith
During one of the first coaching days, former England international Kelly Smith joined the programme for a virtual seminar. By sharing her personal career journey, challenges and key learnings, she inspired young people to believe in themselves and to dream big.
Schools from across the country joined the online session, with more than 200 pupils taking part. They actively asked questions and engaged in conversation with Kelly, who spoke openly about her experiences, the obstacles she faced and what she would tell her younger self today.
The session was part of the WG Futures programme, which connects young people with professionals from different industries to help them explore their ambitions and understand that every journey is unique. By sharing her story, Kelly showed that setbacks are part of growth and that with confidence, perseverance and belief, anything is possible.
Future steps
Beyond the collaboration at Whiterslack Group, this partnership actively drives the Cruyff Foundation forward in creating space for children, with a clear and ambitious goal: 80 Cruyff Courts in communities and at Specialist Schools across the UK by 2030.