From watch time to playtime

Street footballer and role model Soufiane Touzani shares that belief. He founded FC STRAAT, now the largest online and offline football club in the Netherlands. His mission: to move young people from ‘watchtime’ to ‘playtime’. Off the screen and onto the pitch. Rabobank supports this mission as partner.

FC STRAAT organizes weekly training sessions, qualifying rounds and competitions on neighborhood squares across the Netherlands. Everyone can join, whatever your skill level or background. Joining a training session is free. The aim is to inspire young people to get moving and play sport together in their own neighborhood.

Touzani himself started out as a street footballer on the streets of Rotterdam. These days, his online content reaches millions of young people. For him, that reach isn’t the goal, but a tool. His videos and posts exist to inspire young people to go outside and play football. What starts online, is continued offline.

As a cooperative, Rabobank invests in initiatives that promote sport, health and social cohesion. A healthy society is built on equal opportunities. FC STRAAT gives young people those opportunities, also in neighborhoods where playing sports isn’t always accessible.

“The strength of FC STRAAT is that they genuinely get young people moving,” says Janine Vos, member of Rabobank’s Group Executive Board. “I’m proud that this partnership brings sport and community together. This way we contribute to both physical health and social development.”

FC STRAAT works with municipalities and local partners who ensure that street pitches and facilities are available. Neighborhood sports coaches organize the local FC STRAAT programming. The Johan Cruyff Foundation and Krajicek Foundation run the FC STRAAT qualifying rounds and play-offs.

Rabobank provides financial backing and helps scale the program to reach more young people. Touzani: “We combine our large online reach with local role models in the neighborhood. And it’s not just about the game – we put a lot of focus on behavior on and off the pitch. Everyone has to treat each other with respect. The kids know: this is FC STRAAT, everyone belongs here.”

At the moment FC STRAAT is active on 20 pitches across the Netherlands. Through the partnership with Rabobank, this number will grow significantly. The goal is to grow to 200 pitches across the Netherlands. Each week, kids aged between 7 and 17 get together to play football. Fun, personal development and inclusivity are at the heart of it: no one gets left on the sidelines.

For young people, FC STRAAT means more exercise, getting to know their neighbors, free access to sport and a chance to develop themselves. For the neighborhood, it means more lively pitches that invite others to come outside as well, creating stronger connections between the young people and other local residents.

“Our goal is to get young people off their screens and onto the pitch to play football together,” says Touzani. “With Rabobank as our partner, we are able to make an even bigger impact in neighborhoods and make sports more accessible. Together we’re building a healthier, more active future for young people across the Netherlands.”

Every child deserves the opportunity to play outside

Rabobank believes every child and young person should have the opportunity to play outside, be active and grow. Not just because it’s good for them physically, but because outdoor play and sport build self-confidence, social skills, talent development and equal opportunities. Outside, children and young people learn to work together, cope with winning and losing, persevere, and trust in themselves - skills they carry with them for life.

Yet for many kids, playing outside is no longer a given. Not every neighborhood has appealing, safe places to play and exercise. Sometimes there simply aren’t other kids around, and gaming indoors wins over being active outdoors. That is why Rabobank invests in initiatives that make it easier and more inviting to play outside and get moving.