Three sisters, three professional sports careers, and a shared case for why sport matters – far beyond the scoreboard. That’s the essence of this inspiring DLD Sports session with former professional footballer Merel van Dongen, ESPN presenter Sanne van Dongen, and Tessel van Dongen, a former professional athlete and educator.
Their first lesson is: “Play everything, but master one!” Having played football, basketball, tennis and gymnastics before specializing at 15 or 16, they point to research showing that broad early development prevents injury, lengthens careers and delays burnout. Think of it like this, Sanne says: “If you want to be a great Italian cook, it helps to understand the French kitchen. If you want to be a great player of a guitar, it helps you to play the drums.”
Second: “Girls learn how to lead on the pitch”, Merel says. “In what other environment do girls learn how to lead, how to trust their bodies, and how to be brave?”
Finally, the sisters highlight the accelerating growth of women’s sport, citing packed rugby stadiums, rising attendances at Arsenal Women’s matches and the global impact of Caitlin Clark. As soon as you create women heroes, “it’s going to get you to what they call the Trojan horse effect”, Sanne says. “People come for the hype, but they’ll stay for the sports.”
Watch the video to explore this captivating session in detail.
