TenCate Field in a box is introduced as Cruyff Court Ajax Cape Town by the Johan Cruyff Foundation
Based on the Field in a box concept, the Cruyff Court Ajax Cape Town was officially opened on Wednesday 29 November. The latest project delivered through the partnership between TenCate Grass and the Johan Cruyff Foundation sees the provision of a Cruyff Court for Nobantu Primary School and for Ajax Cape Town to use as a hub for their community sports projects.
The opening was carried out by Cruyff Foundation ambassador Ronald Koeman and Ajax Cape Town Head of Youth and former South African national goalkeeper, Hans Vonk. Local children also had the opportunity to play in a small tournament at the Cruyff Court, an activity which sets the stage for many more matches, tournaments and community programmes to come.
Having commenced with a partnership in 2003, TenCate Grass is the preferred artificial turf supplier for Cruyff Courts and has helped to manufacture and supply surfaces for more than 200 Cruyff Courts worldwide. Now in the fourteenth year of the partnership, TenCate Grass and the Cruyff Foundation have begun to use the Field in a box concept to deliver Cruyff Courts to areas where local provision of materials may be limited and the turnkey solution of Field in a box allows Cruyff Courts to be built at locations that may otherwise miss out.
Field in a box is a complete artificial grass system that links sport with social, educational and economic aims through the provision and installation of a unique facility within disadvantaged or isolated areas around the world. The Triple P principle of Field in a box, which considers how sustainable development is a balance between the elements of People, Planet and Prosperity, sits in harmony with the youth empowerment programme, Heroes of the Cruyff Court, and the 14 Rules of the Cruyff Courts. Field in a box therefore provides an ideal, additional resource for the Cruyff Foundation to consider when installing Cruyff Courts globally.
Michael Vogel, group director of TenCate Grass, commenting on the project opening: “I was thrilled that I was able to join the Cruyff Foundation for the opening of Cruyff Court Ajax Cape Town and that, through the long-standing partnership with the Cruyff Foundation, we at TenCate Grass can contribute to the health and wellbeing of local communities all over the world. For TenCate Grass, there is no better way than to do that through sports. The Cruyff Foundation and Field in box are the perfect combination to achieve this goal”.
Niels Meijer, director of the Johan Cruyff Foundation adds: “It is great that in this fourteenth year of our partnership with TenCate Grass, we can deliver such an innovative project in the township of Guguletu in Cape Town. The turnkey solution that TenCate Grass offers with Field in a box guarantees quality and, with the use of local labour, we stimulate the local economy through our project. Together, we were able to create this fantastic facility for the children and community in Cape Town and provide them with an opportunity to develop through sports and play. Not just the kids of today but also for the generations to come”.
