CAFE is delighted to announce that former Netherlands international Edgar Davids has been appointed to the CAFE Board of Directors.

The midfielder, who won 74 caps for the Netherlands, has pledged his support to CAFE and our works, as well as outlining his belief in a game that is accessible, welcoming and inclusive for all.

Davids is regarded as one of the greatest and most recognisable players of his generation, and his new role on the CAFE Board of Directors will help to provide much greater exposure for Total Football #TotalAccess.

Nicknamed ‘The Pitbull’ by former manager Louis van Gaal, Davids has a great tenacity and passion for inclusion and is a huge advocate of the unique power that football has to change lives. He experienced this power first hand at the third International CAFE Conference 2018 in Bilbao, joining Athletic Club legend Carlos Gurpegui to present the first ever CAFE Access and Inclusion Champions Awards.

Davids is also widely recognised for his trademark orange goggles that he played in for many years, following eye surgery caused by glaucoma in 1999.

Starting his professional career at Ajax, where he was part of the UEFA Champions League winning side in 1995, Davids enjoyed an illustrious career with many of European football’s biggest clubs. Davids spent much of his career with Juventus, but also played for both AC Milan and Inter.

Following a loan move to Barcelona, where he was credited with playing a pivotal role in the club’s renaissance under countryman Frank Rijkaard, Davids moved to the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur. Two seasons at White Hart Lane were followed by a return to Ajax.

In addition to the UEFA Champions League won with Ajax, Davids won the UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, three Eredivisie titles, three Serie A titles and a number of domestic cups.

Davids also enjoyed a glittering international career, and was an integral part of the Netherlands midfield for many years alongside players such as Clarence Seedorf, Phillip Cocu and Marc Overmars.

He was named in both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2000 teams of the tournament, and was included in Pele’s list of the greatest 100 living footballers in 2004.

Away from the pitch, Davids has a long-standing interest in equality and inclusion. In 2007, he co-founded Straatvoetbalbond Nederland (SVBN) – the Dutch street soccer federation – striving to bring about better cohesion and education in less-privileged, multi-cultural areas of the Netherlands through football. He is also a co-founder of Parc des Rêves, working to create multi-functional sports pitches in under-privileged neighbourhoods across the world.

CAFE Managing Director Joanna Deagle said, “The CAFE Directors are delighted to welcome Edgar to the Board. Edgar’s popularity within the game, twinned with his genuine passion for equality and inclusion, means that he will be an invaluable asset to the team. We look forward to working together for many years to promote the many different roles that disabled people can play within the game”. 

Following his appointment to the CAFE board, Davids posted on Instagram “From today I joined CAFE as a board director! We try to include everybody into the football stadiums”. The photograph has already received over 5000 likes and many messages of congratulations from his global fan base.

To find out more about the CAFE Board of Directors, please click here.

Published 23/01/2019