A loaded football tournament on Saturday at the sports park in Coevorden. Sixteen teams from miles around played with someone special in their heads: Ingrid Wassen, who passed away last year. Teammate, leader and friend.
Sick? Ingrid Wassen from Coevorden wanted nothing to do with it. Yes, she was. But she didn’t want to live as a patient. Even in between chemo treatments, she went to the soccer field. She planned her treatments so that they worked on Saturdays. Even though she couldn’t play football anymore, she was still there.
Ingrid lived for football. Her mother Klaasje (70) knows all about it. She proudly stands along the line watching the performances on the field, together with her husband Egbert and grandson Siem, Ingrid’s aunt-sayer. Today the first Ingrid Wassen Toernooi will be played at sports park Klinkenvlier, to honor Ingrid and to raise money for Pink Ribbon. This foundation, for which Ingrid held campaigns, is committed to research into breast cancer and projects related to this disease.
‘To us she was just our Ingrid. But she was so from the whole CSVC’
,,When the supporters association, of which Ingrid was also a member, wanted to organize this, they first approached us. They wanted to know how we felt about it”, says Klaasje. “We thought: Yes, of course we can. But what do they all want? A tournament, then a barbecue, added artists… You know, to us she was just our Ingrid. But she was from all CSVC. It shows.”
Ingrid was about 10 years old when she started playing soccer. At least, officially, because she always played soccer in the neighborhood and in the playground. She was a tough girl. A good goalkeeper too, first at Ladies 1 of CSVC / Germanicus / NKVV and later at the 7 x7 team. Her mother remembers that she once received a trophy for ‘least passed goalkeeper’. Ingrid also became leader of both Ladies 1 and the 7×7 team.
Her social life largely took place at the football club.
Breast cancer
“She was the face of the club. She also always had a chat with the people of the other associations. They all knew her too”, says Aniek Klifman (32), who helped set up this first Ingrid Wassen Tournament. Aniek met Ingrid when she joined the club around the age of fifteen. ,,I have known Ingrid half my life. We saw each other three times a week anyway: training twice and a game on Saturday. I remember well when she told the team she was sick. That was very emotional.”
Ingrid’s mother had had breast cancer and Ingrid was alert to it. Yet at that first diagnosis, in 2015, there were already metastases in the bones. A heavy process with chemotherapy followed, almost a year and a half long. She recovered and the disease was under control for quite some time.
Team Ingrid
Ingrid, who before that time worked at Bertjes Resto in Emmen, devoted herself fully to charity after her diagnosis. Participated in the SamenLoop voor Hoop in Coevorden, for example, in 2018. With her own Team Ingrid, which sold self-made key rings and home-baked knickers. She also made sure that her soccer team played in pink shirts at tournaments to draw attention to Pink Ribbon.
When the disease flared up again, it spread quickly. ,,But as sick as she was, she made sure she could be there on Saturday”, says Aniek. ,,For example, she had her parents bring her to see the end of the match. Ingrid just didn’t want to miss anything. The great thing is that Ladies 1 and the 7×7 both became champions last year.”
Not much later, on June 28, Ingrid passed away at the age of 46.
Little did she know that a tournament would be named after her to continue her fundraising efforts. ,,I wanted to tell her, but in the end it went so fast that it never happened”, says Aniek. She is very proud of the proceeds of the tournament: more than 3,000 euros. ,,Really amazing. We would have been happy with 1000 euros. In addition to the registration fee, a lot of money was also donated. Some companies have deposited 250 euros. Then it goes hard.”
Friends teams
She thinks the Ingrid Wassen Tournament will be here to stay. ,,When I see it how it lives… Sixteen teams from Coevorden, Klazienaveen, Odoorn, Avereest and Steenwijksmoer are participating. Not only women’s but also men’s teams. And what I really like is that they are not only existing football teams, but also teams of friends. I think we will make this an annual event. Ingrid deserved this so much. She did so much; now we do something for her. And yes, it is a loaded day, but above all a very beautiful one.”