Futsal player Gerrit Jan Bartel shares basic of the game to children

Retired football and futsal player Gerrit Jan Bartels recently shared the basic of futsal with World Vision-assisted children in Manila. 

Futsal is a game similar to football but played in a smaller and hard-court pitch. 

“I started playing futsal when I was eight years old back in the Netherlands,” the 37-year-old Dutch national, who is now an account executive for a consulting company, said. “Back at home, we would organize a Christmas futsal tournament, and instantly I was sold.”

“I love the game because it’s all about technique and movement which I love to do,” Bartels added.   

Bartels played football and futsal for several teams in his native Netherlands, Spain, and the United States in his early 20s for seven years.

He said that both football and futsal will always have a special place in his heart. And showing that he wants to share his love for futsal, he spared a weekend to teach the basics of the sport to kids from Manila. Bartels tapped World Vision and Wells Fargo to make the training possible. 

Children who joined the futsal activity also received shoes and gear. 

One of the participants was 12-year-old Wahab, who, at her young age, has already expressed interest in being a football player in her future. 

“My coach saw a potential in me in playing the game, thus he encouraged me to try out for the school team,” she said. 

Roberto Dazo, World Vision Operations Manager for Luzon, expressed his hope that the kids of Manila who participated in the training will have a bright future ahead of them—whether they decide to pursue their love for their chosen sport and be a professional player.

“This sport is great because it builds rapport with other children your age, as well as shows the importance of exercise at a young age such as yours,” Dazo said to the children.