Club Brugge Foundation, Alzheimer's League Flanders and the Pro League today launched a new Football & Social Responsibility project: 'Football Memories'. This new and unique initiative is aimed at supporting people with (young) dementia. Through soccer memories, this project offers them the chance to come together, reminisce and start conversations.
With the 'Football Memories' project, Club Brugge is the first Belgian soccer club to take the step of connecting the Club's rich history to a great cause: fighting dementia. During special sessions, old photos, stories and memorabilia from the club's history are used to help individuals with dementia activate memories and encourage social interaction. Like a soccer game, each Football Memories session lasts 2 x 45 minutes, with a 15-minute break. Inspired by successful projects in the Netherlands and Scotland, this concept is now available in Belgium for the first time.
The first session took place on Friday afternoon, Sept. 20, at the Club Museum of the Jan Breydel Stadium. Ten people with dementia participated in an interactive session where they could share memories about historical moments and icons of Club Brugge. Two special guests were also present during this opening session: Jos Volders and Leo Van der Elst, two club icons who officially opened the project. Their personal anecdotes and memories brought an extra dimension to the program and created emotional moments. After this first meeting, a new session will now follow every month at Club Brugge, each time focusing on a different highlight from the club's history.
The launch of the project in Brugge comes not coincidentally one day before 'World Alzheimer Day', the international day on which worldwide attention is drawn to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. With 'Football Memories', the initiators want to contribute to breaking the stigma surrounding dementia and raise awareness about this disease.
Peter Gheysen, Head of Foundation Club Brugge:
Club Brugge is proud to add a new chapter to the operation of its Foundation with the launch of 'Football Memories'.
Peter Gheysen, Head of Foundation at Club Brugge: "Football brings people together. We see this during every home game at the Jan Breydel Stadium, but also every day at our various Foundation projects we feel the immense power we have as a soccer club to connect people. We are very proud to give our rich Club history, laced with numerous memorable anecdotes and personal stories, an extra warm purpose with this project. It is an honor to be the first Belgian soccer club to start Football Memories, helping people with dementia to reminisce and reconnect with the sport that brought them so much joy. This is how we make our Club history even more of a piece of touching heritage."
