Loes Rijnen (40) from Tilburg had to take a good look last weekend when she walked to the football field for the game between FC Tilburg and RKHBS. A banner along the line, yellow-blue torches on the field and a beautiful bunch of flowers that were pressed into her hands. She plays for 25 years in the first team of first NOAD and now FC Tilburg. She did not expect the tribute at all. “But it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.”
From that Loes was nine, she has been training at NOAD and from the age of eleven she also started playing matches at this Tilburg club. “At the age of fifteen I moved to the ladies. Then they only had one ladies team and therefore I immediately entered the first team. I got sticking there,” says the routinier with a wink.
The 40-year-old Tilburgse experienced the enormous development of women’s football. “If I used to say that I was on football, they asked,” Oh, are you lesbian? “. Fortunately, that is no longer an issue.” Loes likes to see that nowadays so many girls play football. The uniforms have also changed enormously. “It used to be all very big, as a girl you swam in your outfit. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case.”
‘Not dicks, but brushing’
In the meantime, Loes is also playing with ladies who are in the early twenties. “I can no longer keep up with that. If we do a sprint exercise during training, always think: rather not. The pace is really too high than.”
Although the pace went up over the years, Loes thinks that both she and the younger generation of football players can learn from each other. “Those young girls are super fast and agile with the ball, but I think they can learn from my attitude. From my experience I know: not dicks, but brushing.” Then why clicks so well despite the age difference? “That’s because I don’t feel forty,” says Loes.
Big girlfriend group
Yet she didn’t think about stopping for a long time. “I may have passed the team for a little too long,” she admits honestly. “It’s just a big girlfriend group, that’s the biggest reason I’m still football.” The game also does not let her go after all these years. “The sport is super fun, not thinking and kicking that ball. But I think the team feeling is the most important thing. The click you have with those girls is great.”
Despite the good click, the football career of Loes is coming to an end. “I have already indicated that I will stop,” she says. “This is the last season for me.” Yet she can’t leave it all the way behind. “I remain a training member, because I’m probably going to miss it. Then I can still train occasionally.”
Play-offs
A continuation as a trainer among the women does not like Tilburg, but she will remain involved with the club anyway. “Maybe I can give my son training when he goes to football.” For now there is one more game to play and then the play-offs for promotion to the big league follow, before the experienced defender officially says goodbye.