Partnership Extended Through 2028 to Inspire More Children Through Soccer and Sustainability, as Told Through an Inspiring New Film
WILLEMSTAD, Curaçao, July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AFC Ajax, Sandals Resorts and the Sandals Foundation today announced a renewed commitment of their impactful Future Goals program in Curaçao, continuing their partnership through June 2028. This commitment will open the door for even more schoolchildren to benefit from Future Goals – a transformative program that uses soccer as a gateway to teach environmental responsibility, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.
Inside the Future Goals program in Curaçao with Sandals Resorts and AFC Ajax.
From the Ocean, For the Future: Sandals Resorts, the Sandals Foundation and AFC Ajax extend its ‘Future Goals’ program in Curaçao through 2028. The inventive program turns plastic waste and fishing nets lost at sea into colorful soccer goals, pictured here, for primary schools across the island.
Local partner Limpi Recycling has manufactured more than 70 Future Goals goalposts, which have been delivered to schools across Curaçao over the past three years.
Beyond the field and in the classroom, local Future Coaches lead an eight-week curriculum for primary school children that blends Ajax-style soccer training with life skills to empower youth through sport.
The Future Goals program will bring more island-wide clean-ups to Curaçao, designed to protect its communities and oceans while inspiring students to drive lasting positive change.
To mark this milestone, Ajax and Sandals have unveiled a heartfelt new film that captures the transformative spirit of the program, spotlighting the joy of play, the power of purpose, and the promise of a cleaner future for Curaçao's next generation.
A Winning Play for Kids and the Caribbean Launched in 2022, Future Goals is a unique initiative by Netherlands soccer club AFC Ajax, Sandals Resorts and its philanthropic arm, the Sandals Foundation. The program takes an inventive approach to youth engagement: tapping local Curaçao company Limpi Recycling to turn plastic waste from the ocean into sustainably produced soccer goals for primary schools.
Beyond gear, the program also implements an annual eight-week curriculum that blends in-class learning with on-the-field training, all centered around the game of soccer. Sessions are delivered by local "Future Coaches" who are trained by AFC Ajax, and are designed to promote physical activity while teaching important life skills.
To date, the impact of the Future Goals program has been both wide-reaching and deeply meaningful. More than 1.4 million plastic bottles and caps have been removed from local communities, alongside over 3,000 square feet of discarded fishing nets pulled from the sea. More than 70 soccer goalposts have been creatively recycled from these materials and delivered to schools across Curaçao. In addition, sustainable soccer gear and educational kits have been distributed to the majority of the island's primary schools, equipping students with the tools to learn, play, and grow.
These numbers are set to grow as the program reaches even more students and schools across the island. The expanded initiative will also feature more annual events for students like the Plastic Art Challenge, inter-school tournaments, and island-wide clean-up days, through which 743 children from 21 schools recently collected litter across local communities to close out the 2024-2025 year.
"This partnership gives children the opportunity to play, to lead, and to connect with the environment in ways that truly matter," said Patrice Gilpin, PR Manager of the Sandals Foundation. "It's proof that when we invest in children, we invest in a stronger, more sustainable future for the Caribbean."
"Together with Sandals Resorts, we're showing the impact Ajax can have on the other side of the world," said Cas Biesta, Commercial Director of AFC Ajax. "It is wonderful to see that the Future Goals program has been running non-stop in Curaçao for three years now. The basis is 'love for soccer,' but it also teaches children about teamwork, creativity, resilience, and caring for the environment. We are very proud to be working together toward more Future Goals."
About Sandals® Resorts: Family-owned Sandals Resorts offers some of the best adults-only all-inclusive resorts that bring guests closer to the vibrancy, authenticity and spirit of the Caribbean. Pioneers of the all-inclusive vacation experience in the region, Sandals has 17 beachfront all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, Curaçao, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, each reflecting the genuine vibe of its island home. From local food favorites and global flavors to butler service and signature suites, including the Caribbean's first Overwater Villas, Sandals makes it easy for guests to go all in on vacation mode. Beyond the resort gates, immersive destination experiences, like a newly piloted Island Inclusive dining program and MINI Coopers for island exploration, raise the bar on the all-inclusive vacation. Championing the region it calls home, Sandals demonstrates the transformative power of tourism and its impact on lives through its philanthropic arm, the Sandals Foundation. For more information, visit www.sandals.com.
About The Sandals Foundation: The Sandals Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States, a CTA registered charity in Canada and registered charity - Charity Commission England & Wales that was created to continue and expand upon the philanthropic work that Sandals Resorts International has undertaken. It is the culmination of over four decades of dedication to playing a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where the resorts operate across the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community and the environment. One hundred percent of the monies contributed to the Sandals Foundation go directly to programs benefiting the Caribbean community. To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, visit online at www.sandalsfoundation.org or follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About AFC Ajax: Soccer Club AFC Ajax was founded in Amsterdam on March 18, 1900. Ajax aims to entertain and inspire people worldwide with attacking and creative soccer. Ajax has grown to become the most successful soccer club in the Netherlands, with international appeal and one of the world's most renowned youth academies. Ajax's trophy cabinet is filled with, among other things, 36 national titles, 20 domestic cups, 1 European Cup II, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 World Cups, and 4 Champions Leagues.
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