Football club from Antwerp Province is Europe's best amateur club
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Loading... - Nathalie Bezuindenhout
- 05 Apr 2022
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It’s not every day that a Belgian football club picks up a European prize. The last time that a professional club from Belgium won a European trophy was in 1988 when KV Mechelen won the UEFA Cup. However, now UEFA has awarded an amateur club from Edegem in Antwerp Province its annual price for the best amateur club in Europe. Ik Dien (I serve) won the first prize at the annual UEFA Grassroots Awards. The club is run entirely by volunteers, its players are not paid for playing and spectators can watch its matches for free.
The Grassroots Awards rewards those working at the grassroots of football. People that give up their free time to enjoy the sport they love and to ensure that others are given the opportunity to share their passion.
The Grassroots Awards were awarded for the first time in 2010. Ik Dien’s prize is the first Grassroots Award to be given to a Belgian club.
"It’s a great boost and recognition. It’s unbelievable”, a member of the football club told VRT Sport. The award comes just two years before the club celebrates its centenary in 2024.
The club has 819 members, of whom 693 players. Ik Dien has a total of 46 teams. Its membership is highly diverse with 34 different nationalities being represented among its members. Almost 15% of the members of Ik Dien are female. The youngest member is 4 years old and the oldest member of the club is 85. The club’s oldest player was born in 1954. Read More...
