Nadine Noordam

Football runs throughout Nadine’s family: her father Marcel played for S.V. Honselersdijk’s first team and later became a youth coach, while both of her brothers also represented the club.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nadine combined Eredivisie football with work as a movement therapist at a care facility for people with acquired brain injuries, even taking extra shifts when colleagues were unavailable.

At 14, Nadine had to memorise the Dutch national anthem before her first youth international and proudly sang every word while a live fanfare played beside the pitch.

Nadine’s grandfather was a guiding figure throughout her career: he travelled to her matches, gave her feedback after every game and lived to see her first appearance for Ajax before passing away. She still draws motivation from him whenever she plays.

As an Ajax Foundation ambassador, Nadine worked with young people on topics including prejudice, discrimination and group pressure, hoping to show them that they could achieve their own ambitions too.

Nadine got engaged during a trip to Sossusvlei in Namibia, sharing the proposal against the backdrop of a dramatic desert sunset.

Nadine supports the Smoke-Free Generation campaign and promotes a healthy lifestyle, inspired by childhood memories of adults smoking beside the football pitch while she played with her aunt.