The history of football in Curaçao: the role of Feyenoord in the beginnings

Dutch sailors, soldiers and white missionaries brought football to Curaçao, but it was the passion of the island's inhabitants that gave this sport great importance. From the very beginning, football attracted the attention of the islanders. This article tells the story of the beginnings of football in Curaçao, where Feyenoord played a key role.  There is little evidence of the origins of football in the Antilles, but a rare publication commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Curaçao Football Association, published in 1946, provides fascinating and relatively complete information. The anniversary celebrations were an occasion for many celebrations on the island, the highlight of which was the visit of Feyenoord in June this year. It was the first-ever visit of a Dutch football team to the Western Hemisphere. For months, the local newspaper "Amigoe de Curaçao" had been eagerly awaiting this visit. There were regular articles about the famous team from Rotterdam, which included famous players such as Bas Paauwe, Arie de Vroet and Jan Linssen. The club, which had already won the Dutch championship five times, was to become an unprecedented attraction on the island, where until then only teams from Central and South America had played.