First female soccer player to play with men in the Netherlands
Ellen Fokkema, a 19-year-old player, is the first woman to join a men's soccer team in the Dutch league .
In the Netherlands they start a pilot plan with a woman in category A men. / Photo: foarut.nl – Henk Jan Dijks – www.henkjandijks.nl
The Woman Post | Maria Lourdes Zimmermann
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Fokkema is part of a pilot program that aims to integrate women into men's leagues to create mixed soccer teams.
In the 2020/2021 season, the Royal Netherlands Football Association KNVB, the body in charge of this sport in the Netherlands, whose headquarters are in Zeistel; is starting a pilot in collaboration with VV Foarut football club of Menaldum, to allow women in amateur football to participate in category A for men.
Ellen Fokkema will be the first woman in the division to play soccer in VV Foarut's first men's team, which plays in the fourth division. Based on the pilot results, the KNVB will assess whether there is a good basis to allow women and men to play mixed football in category A, and to permanently amend the regulations.
“Girls can now play co-ed soccer in teams of very young players. However, as soon as children move from under 19 years to category A for men, women are forced to play football in category B with men or in a women's team ”explains the KNVB in a statement for the press.
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“By granting the opportunity and monitoring Fokkema on an individual basis, as will now be the case at VV Foarut, the KNVB will have all the arguments to make the decision to allow women to be eligible to play Category A in mixed senior teams in the future ” . Affirms the football association of the Netherlands.
"It's great to be able to continue playing for this team," says Ellen Fokkema, a VV Foarut first-team player. "I've been playing with these guys since I was five years old and I was sorry that I wouldn't be able to play with them on a team next year due to regulations."
"From the KNVB they always advised me to continue playing with the men as long as possible, so why not do it?" This was enough encouragement for the young player to make the proposal to the club and together they submitted the application to the KNVB which months later it accepted, allowing Ellen Fokkema to be the first woman in the division to play soccer in VV Foarut's first men's team. .
"I do not dare to say how it will be, but anyway I am very happy to be able to participate in this pilot", the soccer player concludes.
