Girls And Grassroots

Danaë Daal & Verda Betrian, Curaçao

Our storytellers from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao are Danaë Daal and Verda Betrian. Danaë, a legal and policy advisor, has worked with the Curaçao Football Federation women's national team and was the General Secretary of the Sint Maarten Football Federation, while Verda is a psychologist. Together they started a new grassroots project in Curaçao to coach girls across the island.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?

My name is Danaë Daal. I hail from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao and currently live in Europe. I moved to Brussels in Belgium in 2020 where I worked at the European Parliament and in 2021 made Rotterdam in The Netherlands my home base. I am a legal and policy advisor by profession. I started playing football very late at the age of 16 when a few students approached my twin sister and I to join their team. It was my first time being introduced to football and I never left the game.

The team I joined at 16 was the Willemstad club in Curacao. We used to practice on the dirt field at the back of the main field. The main field had grass. I don't know why the girls got the dirt field and the boys got the grass, but I assume that it had something to do with reservation of the field by the boys and men’s team. Our team was new and still in development. Obviously, it was not really fair but this has all changed by now. Willemstad developed their fields, and the women and men all use the same fields now. So positive change! :)

I have also contributed my time to the advancement of women's football on the islands of Sint Maarten and Curacao. Together with my sister and a friend we started the first women's football association on Sint Maarten, where I was the President and one of the coaches. I was also part of the Sint Maarten Football Federation as the General Secretary. I have represented the island at various congresses and events for Concacaf and FIFA and was also a member of the Caribbean Football Union women's committee. 

Curacao and Sint Maarten are linked through our shared (colonial) history and Dutch nationality. We are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and our official status is as autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  You find a lot of people from the various islands migrating from one island to the other (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Statia and Saba.) But also to the Netherlands and vice versa. 

In my case I moved from Curacao in 2004 to the Netherlands as a student and obtained my law degree there, then moved to Sint Maarten in 2011 and started my professional career there as senior legal advisor for the Department of Foreign Affairs.

After living in Sint Maarten for 5 years I decided to move back to Curacao for a few years to continue my career and be closer to family. My twin sister took over the role of President and General Secretary, and I went to assist the Curacao Football Federation with their women's national team. During my time there I felt the need to get more active on a grassroots level. So together with my friend and old football colleague Verda Betrian, we started a project where girls could play for free. 

Together with Verda, who is a psychologist by profession, we made a strong coaching duo. We went to several neighbourhoods of the island and set up training for girls to get them to be active but also introduced them to football. For me it is always important to ensure that girls are active, but also learn certain skills on the field such as team play and sportsmanship. Most importantly, as we did in Sint Maarten, it was important that the girls grew into leadership positions in sports. I saw from my experience regionally and internationally that most leadership positions in this sport were still dominated by men. And I wanted the girls to know of these career opportunities. 

Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?

There are several photos taken during this grassroots project that Verda and I created. Each session had new kids joining but also some who travelled to visit our training wherever we went. And the photos represent the neighbourhoods of the island. Some are close to the community centres where the local people would gather for activities. Some fields have not seen girls practice there at all before. And one of them hasn't had any activity held there in a very long time. 

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

The grassroots. The feeling of keeping things simple. By bringing girls who have never seen a football field in their lives from the neighbourhoods to the field. Just trying out for the first time. These are not fancy football fields. Just a football and kids coming together to play. 

Are there any good stories connected with the people or teams you photographed?

We had this sister duo who came to all the practices regardless of which neighbourhood we were coaching. We nicknamed the younger one “Messi”. She was the football fan. But the older sister joined her at every practice and always supported her. And that was really beautiful to see. 

We always had questions from the girls where they would ask if Verda and I had a team. We didn't. Our goal was to reinforce the teams on the island so that more girls joined the clubs. But apparently the girls were only interested to know if we had a team so that they could join. I think the fact that two women were coaching means that representation matters on the field. And I truly hope more women try out at coaching instead of standing on the sidelines at football games.

There is also one photo that shows a girl holding the ball and behind an interview is being conducted. The gentleman is a famous reporter on the island who followed us around and promoted us for free. He was also someone who is deeply invested in the social causes for the island. The lady who is being interviewed was a photographer who invested her time for free making the pictures that we would later use for promotion. 

For me it represented the power of communities. We did everything for free and received small donations to buy fruits and snacks for the kids. Parents would bring fruits and water and some volunteered. We even had two friends of ours who live in the Netherlands send us materials to conduct the trainings. I love that. I love that with no funding structure we managed to hold each training by the grace of the community who also donated their time and resources. 

What is your favourite photo?

There is one photo of a little girl with a ball at the football club. She must have been two years old or around that age. I have to laugh every time I see it because she was there with a boy who I believe to be her brother. I was trying to get her to kick the ball. The boy came in and took the ball to play. I told her “Go get your ball. Don't let him take it from you!” and she ran and got back her ball. She was so proud after that.

Why is football so important for Curacao and its people?

For some it is entertainment. For others it is a career. And for some it is religion. I think football is important for the opportunities it provides for the players and the audience. Many players see it as a gateway to opportunities abroad. We have many players from the island playing in the leagues in Europe.  For the fans and players alike, it provides a community feeling.

What are the opportunities for female footballers in Curacao?

Compared to the men, the opportunities are more limited. In Curacao there are opportunities to go abroad to play in the States or Europe. Some girls have played regionally for the island and some have joined clubs abroad. The national league is also strong. But if we speak about a football career in leadership it is very limited as well. Most of the positions on the island are held by men. 

When I arrived on Curacao in 2017, one of the first things Verda and I did was to start a Facebook page to focus solely on the awareness and promotion of all women's football happening on the island. People from all over could follow the progress of the women's teams, clubs, national teams, and projects.  

What does football mean to you?

For me football has meant a field of opportunities. On the field I have been able to grow as a player and a person. All the skills in life such as working together, strategic thinking, handling defeat and also perseverance have been learnt on the field. As a leader, it has been an opportunity to advance women's rights in sport. As a fan, football has been the only sport that I truly enjoy watching and analyzing. It is something that I also share with my dad. We go to games together and analyze them. He also has supported me in all the football activities and been helping Verda and I as the assistant coach (together with Verda's husband) during our project in Curacao. 

What is the future for Curacao football?

Curacao’s future is already bright for the men. We are doing very well regionally. Curacao won their first Caribbean Cup in 2017. They recently hired Guus Hiddink as their manager. There is a lot of investment in the men’s league and I think that will advance them significantly. As for the girls, much more can be done, and the road to their success is unfortunately a bit longer.