Joost got to Kitase in the third week of august ’17, together with his close friend Norben. Joost has been playing football since a very young age and brought Dutch experience to the Kitase pitch.
Personal information
Name: Joost Derks
Date of Birth: 3 juni 1999
Place of Birth: Utrecht, the Netherlands
Voluntary Work at The Kitase Action Boys FC
On the Kitase pitch he became the assistant coach, next to Coach Desmond Acquah, of the Kitase Action Boys FC U-15 team. It’s very satisfying to see that the teaching and learning comes not just from one side. While Joost is teaching the players things that he’s been taught in Dutch training, the training sessions in Ghana made sure that Joost learned a lot as well. As Joost himself says: “The football in Ghana goes way quicker and you get less time to control and keep te ball. But also the high frequency of physical training definitely made me improve on my stamina and sprint speed. My football qualities significantly gained from this experience.”
Besides the football, Joost is also contributing in the Action Boys’ education. He’s regularly organising morning classes for Action Boys who are not going to school. But again, our players are not the only one taking advantage of Joost’s presence. Joost is also learning a lot when it comes to the Ghanaian culture and the way people here interact with each other. It’s been very nice to have you here and I’m sure that the players will miss you a lot!
