Last month, the 13th class of the Master in Coaching graduated. Wim de Wit has been involved as a personal coach of the students since the start of the program in 2009 and stimulates them to take their own responsibility to achieve their goals
Wim de Wit is a ‘Cruyffian’ through and through. Many decades ago, he met Johan Cruyff at AFC Ajax where he was the goalkeeper at the time. Together they founded the Johan Cruyff Academy (before: Johan Cruyff University) in 1999, where Wim taught sport marketing for over 10 years. He was also a study coach, helping students to combine their sports career with their studies.
Wim retired a couple of years ago, but he has stayed active within the Cruyff network. With his passion for sport, education and coaching, he is now one of the personal coaches of the Master in Coaching at Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam. In his role, he gives the students individual guidance outside the classes to make sure that they realize their goals. It is a role that he carries out with a great deal of commitment, humour and helpfulness.
Back at the time, he didn’t need to think twice about starting as a personal coach: “I chose to enjoy the things I can learn from and they can learn from me. The program appeals to me because of its transparent character; the classes are not being given in the traditional way. The students are the determining factor in their own development. It is all about their personal development and the route that is ‘empty’ at the start, but where the student takes his or her own responsibility. Like that, all the students together determine the success of the program.”
As a personal coach, Wim guides two student per academic year so that they can realize their personal goals. “I have the knowledge in education, physical education, play, methodology, didactics, group dynamics, competence-based orientation, sports, management and marketing. Depending on the needs of the student, I can offer them my knowledge in what I think would be an added value for them. In addition, the spatio-temporal thinking of Johan plays a major role.”
The art of coaching has a great future according to Wim, because: “I might be an old and experienced man who likes to spread wisdom, but the philosophy of people’s coaching ability is far from fully developed.”
STUDY PROGRAMS JOHAN CRUYFF INSTITUTE AMSTERDAM
- Master in Coaching (Amsterdam & Arnhem, English, Start: February 2020 – Dutch edition: September 2019)
- Master in Sport Management (Amsterdam, English, Start: September 2019)
