A total of 237 students of Johan Cruyff Institute in Amsterdam, Barcelona and online already have their diplomas as new graduates, and will be joined by those in Mexico and Peru in August and December
The last days of June traditionally mark the end of the academic year at the Johan Cruyff Institute and the celebration of the graduation ceremonies for the students in Amsterdam, Barcelona and online. They will be joined by their fellow students in Mexico, on August 25, and a little later, in December, by those in Peru.
The family continues to grow every year and the graduations are always special because of the climate of complicity and enthusiasm that the students give off. A stage full of common effort and commitment comes to an end and another begins with interesting projects to start.
The emblematic Ajax stadium in Amsterdam, which will officially adopt the name Johan Cruijff Arena, brought together 73 Amsterdam students to collect their diplomas for the Master in Sport Management, the Master in Coaching and the Module on Sports Facilities and Events Management. Henk Verschuur, the manager of Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam, explained that “we always keep in mind the legacy of Johan and his opinion that people who hold a senior position in sport, whether as manager, coach or some other function, should be the best of both worlds. Looking at the last academic year’s students, I can only conclude that we can indeed see graduates that are the best of both worlds. They understand sport and have gained essential knowledge at our institute that will enable them to become the next generation of leaders. Our vision of education and our ‘Cruyffian’ teaching strategy has again proven to be valuable. It is indeed a privilege to continue the educational part of the legacy of Johan. We, here in Amsterdam, are proud of what we are doing because it makes sense”.
The Antiga Fàbrica of Estrella Damm once again welcomed the graduates of all the on-campus and blended programs in Barcelona, and also the online community. A total of 164 students collected their diplomas at the ceremony held there on June 29. They will be joined by others in September, or whenever they finish their training.
This year’s graduation ceremony in Barcelona was attended by special guest Jordi Cruyff. Released from his responsibilities as sports director of Maccabi Tel Aviv, which have kept him busy the last few years, Jordi did not want to miss an event that his father enjoyed so much. “I am very happy to be here with you today, although on the other hand it is sad, because that means that my father is not. But I recognize in the Cruyff Institute many things of my father: his way of thinking, his way of living and doing things. He always told me how important it was, in addition to sport, to be well prepared. I did not listen to him until I was 19 years old, when as a result of a serious injury I started studying business management and marketing courses that prepared me to lead projects. Just because we have played football we think that we can direct, lead and judge and that is not the case. For many years, my father insisted that I get training and I thank him very much for that,” explained Jordi.
Jordi Cruyff
Jordi also reminded the students that “education is a great vehicle through which to spread the values and legacy of Johan Cruyff. I am delighted to see in this graduation ceremony the future leaders of sport management.”
The director of Johan Cruyff Institute, Mariël Koerhuis, was inspired by the image of swimmers jumping into a pool for the message she addressed to the students: “There are three words that will be crucial in your careers: jump, adapt and lead. You have completed your master’s or postgraduate degree and, some of you, already made a great decision a year ago: to leave your country, your comfort zone, and invest in your training. That is already a courageous decision. From now on, I encourage you not to be afraid to make mistakes and simply to jump. My second piece of advice is that the ability you demonstrate to adapt to change is absolutely vital to succeed. And adapting means to continue learning, to keep up to date and not stop growing. The third key word in your professional career is to lead. In the leadership positions that you are going to hold in the future, it is very important that you surround yourself with a good team; as in the picture of these swimmers, surround yourself with people you can ‘swim’ with and, at the same time, who challenge and inspire you so you will be able to inspire them too. So, remember: jump, adapt and lead. I wish you good luck and success in your professional careers and in your lives”.
Mariël Koerhuis, manager of Johan Cruyff Institute
STUDY PROGRAMS JOHAN CRUYFF INSTITUTE AMSTERDAM
- Master in Sport Management (Start: September 2018, Amsterdam)
- Master in Coaching (Start: February 2019, Amsterdam & Arnhem)
