Feyenoord Clinics in Havana well received
In January 2014 a group of Feyenoord coaches travelled to Cuba together with a delegation of Dutch companies and Mr Frans Timmermans, Dutch Foreign Affairs minister. Coaches Ulrich van Gobbel, Robin Nelisse, Melvin Boel and Dane Brard took up residence in the Pedro Marrero national football stadium of Cuba. In a week's time about 250 children and young adults were given a taste of football training the Dutch way.
The Feyenoord clinics in Havana were sponsored by a group of companies from Rotterdam, led by Nirint Shipping and Rotterdam Topsport. They were officially opened by Minister Timmermans who emphasized both the importance of political and economic reforms and the work Feyenoord is doing abroad. 'Things have been set in motion here in Cuba. We can only influence that if that we can only do if we keep talking to Cubans, rather than isolating them as has been done for so long', he said.