Wim de Wit, founding father of Johan Cruyff Academy and Cruyff Education, passed away on August 2, 2024
In the sixties during his time at Ajax AFC, Wim de Wit shared the dressing room with Johan Cruyff. After that, he made a career move into higher education. Years later, in the late nineties, Johan contacted him, because he wanted elite athletes to have more opportunities to combine top sports with a study. Wim took up that challenge and subsequently made a crucial contribution to the establishment of Johan Cruyff Academy, as a part of Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
In 1999, 35 student-athletes started their higher education in Sports Marketing. At the time, it was groundbreaking to offer top athletes the opportunity to combine their sports career with a study. They were the first to develop a dual career, so that they could contribute to the sports sector or other sectors of society after -or alongside- their sports career. The success of Johan Cruyff Academy led to the establishment of Johan Cruyff College, which provides vocational education for top athletes, and Johan Cruyff Institute, with specialized programs in sport management in Amsterdam, Barcelona and worldwide. More than 10,000 students worldwide have followed a study program at Cruyff Education.
Video (in Dutch): Interview with Wim de Wit about the origins of Johan Cruyff Academy
After his retirement in 2011, Wim remained involved with Cruyff Education. He was an ambassador for Johan Cruyff Academy and the philosophy of Johan Cruijff and also with Johan Cruyff Institute, as a personal coach for more than ten years. Wim has meant so much to ‘his’ students, both professionally and personally. If you ask former students what they remember most about their education, Wim is mentioned! He knew how sports can form the basis for education and talent development.
Wim was special. He was playful, free-spirited, extrovert, witty, stubborn and a very exceptional teacher. He wanted the best for his student-athletes and in his unique and energetic way he knew how to give others confidence in their abilities. He guided and motivated many generations of students, because he understood better than anyone how sports and education can be the driving force for growth and success. Whether this was about personal, educational or commercial success, Wim knew how to inspire students and the people around him to get the best out of themselves.
Rest in peace dear Wim, you will always be in our thoughts.
