Today at 6:30 PM • Updated today at 7:03 PM
Annie Kraaijkamp has been a volunteer at the Boscche football club since the founding of FC Engelen. “I’m married to the club.” When her husband Evert became one of the first players there in 1971, she took care of the canteen and the dirty shirts. She can still be found at the sports complex at least three times a week. A special surprise awaited this super volunteer on Thursday morning.
“Oh, I only see it now. Why?” It takes a while for Annie to see it, but a brand new washing machine is waiting for her in the club laundry room. A larger and more economical device than the previous one. This one can handle nine kilos of dirty shirts, instead of the seven that the old one could hold. “I’m completely overwhelmed, I don’t like being in the spotlight,” she whispers, visibly dazed.
“We should see together how he works,” she says to manager Marion, who has lured her to the sports complex with an excuse. That took some effort because Annie is a busy woman despite her age. In addition to her work at the football club, she also does volunteer work for the Zonnebloem and cleans the church. She is a real celebrity at FC Engelen. Dressing room 1 and 2 are named after her.
What makes the work so much fun? “Being among people. Sitting at home is not for me,” she says as she takes the purple football shirts from the laundry rack. She folds them neatly and puts them in a sports bag that she prepares for the football players. “Just for the first one, huh?”
“It’s not dirty anymore, is it? You used to have to scrub.”
When Annie first started at the club, there was a wooden shed in which the players had to wash in a pig trough. Those days are long gone, the current complex is fully equipped. The arrival of an artificial grass field made washing a lot easier for Annie. When football was still played on grass, the uniforms were often full of mud. “It’s not dirty anymore, is it? You used to have to scrub.”
The big difference with the past? “You don’t have club people anymore. Nobody is as crazy as me anymore.” Many clubs face a shortage of volunteers, but Kraaijkamp faithfully walks to the club three times a week with her walker. On Sundays she is there at half past eight and as hostess she welcomes the referees and opponents. At five o’clock she goes back home after cleaning. “When you’re 91, you’re not allowed to do the hard work anymore, but there’s always something to clean up.”
“Don’t worry, it will keep you flexible, right?” she laughs as she picks up a shirt that has just fallen on the floor. She will never stop her volunteer work for FC Engelen. “I’m married to this club, they have to carry me out of here.” And she is also happy with the new washing machine. “I hope I can enjoy it for a long time, that I can wash for a long time.”
