On Wednesday evening, September 10, our canteen turned orange with the presence of about a hundred children from our youngest youth teams. Together with parents, coaches, and team leaders, they were there to playfully learn the rules of the big field.
Our secretary, Andries van Rooijen, kicked off the evening with a warm welcome and wished everyone a lot of fun with the ‘Run Your Socks Off’ game. Afterward, referees Fons and Jeroen took over. The children actively got to work: they measured the lines and goals and learned to recognize various (flag) signals from the (assistant) referee. That came in handy during the ‘Run Your Socks Off’ Rules Quiz!
After a short break with lemonade, the competition began. Multiple-choice questions were asked using videos and pictures. The children chose their answer by running to section A, B, or C. Those who stood correctly received a ball to throw into their team’s basket. Due to the enthusiasm and busyness, it wasn’t always easy to verify if everything was correct, as some teams suddenly seemed to have a lot of balls… This immediately highlighted the most important lesson of the evening: fair play pays off.
The teams that played fairly AND collected the most balls could call themselves the rightful winners. They not only received the special ‘Run Your Socks Off’ trophy, but also a real WINNER® football to take home.
It was a successful and enjoyable evening, full of enthusiasm, noise, and learning moments. A big thank you to the organization, our referees Fons and Jeroen, and of course all the children, parents, coaches, and team leaders who were there. Together, we make learning the rules fun!
