INTERVIEW
Photography: Celso de Sanders
Styling: Fleur van den Broek
MUA: Sanne de Jong
Creative Direction: Gilliano Nijman
Creative Assistants: Noah Stengaard Kapell
Digital Content & Strategy Manager: Nikolay Demishin
Words: Reinout Eijkman
Location: Grace Festive Restaurant
Kirsten van de Westeringh
On her dream and what kept her going
“I was heartbroken that week because I had torn my ACL. But when I saw the full stadium, the atmosphere and everything around it, I thought, that is what I want to achieve. And I will never get there if I give up now.”
Photography: Celso de Sanders
Styling: Fleur van den Broek
MUA: Sanne de Jong
Creative Direction: Gilliano Nijman
Creative Assistants: Noah stengeerd Kapell,
Nikolay Demishin
Words: Reinout Eijkman
Location: Grace Festive Restaurant
Kirsten van de Westeringh
On her dream and what kept her going
“I was heartbroken that week because I had torn my ACL. But when I saw the full stadium, the atmosphere and everything around it, I thought, that is what I want to achieve. And I will never get there if I give up now.”
“My dream is still to become an Oranjeleeuwinnen player. When I watched the Dutch national team, I saw what it could bring: full stadiums, emotion, atmosphere. Right after I tore my ACL for the second time, I was invited by my former teammate Kelly Zeeman to attend her farewell match for the national team. It was at a packed Galgenwaard, and when I saw that entire stadium, I thought, this is what I really want. That is my dream. I was very emotional that week because I had just torn my ACL again, but seeing that atmosphere made me realise even more that I wanted to reach that level. And I knew I would never get there if I gave up. That has stayed in the back of my mind ever since. It is still my goal, and I am not giving up.”
“I think I am someone who is always cheerful, energetic and driven, also outside football. If I want something, I go for it”
On who she is beyond football
“I think I am someone who is always cheerful, energetic and driven, also outside football. If I want something, I go for it. And when I have something in my head, I really try to make it happen. People sometimes say I have no shame, and honestly, that is true.”
“Very often, people see me as Kirsten the footballer. If I go to a birthday party, the first questions are usually about football or about my knee. Sometimes I find that difficult, because I am not only Kirsten the footballer. I would also like people to ask how I really am. How life in Rotterdam is. Whether I ever feel lonely. But it almost always comes back to football or my injury.”
On learning to look beyond football during injury
“At one point I realised that focusing only on my rehab was not helping me. It really gets into your head. So when I got injured again, I tried to let go a little more. I told myself that when I was at Zeist and working on my recovery, I would give everything. But outside of that, I also wanted to explore the things I enjoy.”
“From the beginning of my injury, I was followed by a production company for a documentary. I had already been interested in media from a young age. From the age of fifteen, I had my own vlog channel. I bought a camera and simply filmed what I was doing as a footballer.”
“During my injury, I started my own podcast, and I am now around twenty episodes in. I really enjoy doing it. I also started working at ESPN as a field producer. So yes, I am already thinking about life beyond football. Football is still number one, but I also want to keep developing myself in other areas.”
“My injury also brought positive things. If I had never been injured, I probably would not have had the chance to explore that world during my career.”
On working at ESPN
“That experience taught me a lot about what happens behind the scenes. When you are on the pitch yourself, you have no idea how much work goes into a television broadcast. People are there four or five hours beforehand setting everything up. The presenters, commentators and producers all prepare in detail. I learned so much from that.”
“Just enjoy it.”
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“My injury also brought positive things. If I had never been injured, I probably would not have had the chance to explore that world during my career. Maybe I would have done it after football, but not while still playing. I really enjoyed it. I have less time for it now, so it is a bit on hold, because we play on Sundays and only really have one free day a week. But I did it with a lot of pleasure.”
On doing more than just football
“I would really like to show people that it does not matter if you also do something outside football. In this world, people are very quick to say that if someone has interests beyond football, they are not fully focused. I do not agree with that at all. I actually think you can perform better when football is not the only thing in your life.”
On what she would tell young girls
“My biggest advice would be to enjoy it. Realise that it is not something to take for granted, being on the pitch. And try not to put too much pressure on yourself. I have learned myself that it can really work against you.”
“If you want it too much, it often does not work. But if you are a little more relaxed and tell yourself, I am just going to enjoy this and have fun, then beautiful things can happen. I really experienced that last season. When I came back from injury, I felt like I had so much to make up for. I wanted to prove that I still had talent, that I was still good enough. But that did not help me. Now I just tell myself to go onto the pitch, do my thing and not put too much pressure on myself. Just enjoy it.”
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On mental support and breathing techniques
“I definitely got mental support. During my first ACL injury, I worked with a mental coach I got in touch with through my management, and that helped me a lot. During my second ACL injury, I worked with another coach, Robbin Vredeveld, who combines mental coaching with breathing techniques. That helped me in a different way, because it is about more than just talking. I really noticed how much it helped me. The breathing exercises made me calmer, and they still help me now when I am on the pitch.”
On what football still does not talk about enough
“There is still very little talk about the pressure players experience. Whether you work with a mental coach or a breathing coach, it is still not discussed enough. Maybe that is something that needs to change over the next few years. I think people need to speak more openly about that side of the game.”
On the harder side of elite sport
“Top level sport is hard. I have experienced that myself through injury. You can be seen as a big talent for years, as someone who is going to make it, and then you get injured and suddenly you feel like you are nothing.”
“That is definitely something I will not miss. The feeling that you are just a number. That if you are not available, someone else steps in and suddenly you are no longer important.”
On the legacy she wants to leave
“I would love people to look back and say that I was one of the few players at the time who was already exploring other passions during her career. I think it is amazing when players are already thinking about what else they enjoy, instead of only starting to think about it when their career is over.”
