Jacques Visschers facts for kids

Jacques Visschers (born December 6, 1940 – died August 21, 2020) was a famous Dutch football player. He played as a forward, which means he was an attacker who tried to score goals. Jacques spent his entire football career playing for one club, NAC Breda, in the Netherlands. He started playing for them as a young boy in 1948 and continued until he retired in 1971. After he stopped playing, Visschers stayed involved with NAC Breda as a team manager. He also helped start and was a board member of the VVCS, which is a group for professional football players in the Netherlands. Jacques Visschers was also honored for his contributions to football.

Playing for the Club

Starting Young

Jacques Visschers was born in Amsterdam in 1940, but he didn't live there for long. His family moved to Breda, where his father was from. When Jacques was seven, he really wanted to play for NAC Breda. However, he was a bit too young at the time.

When he turned nine, Jacques finally played his first youth match for NAC Breda. Back then, he played as an attacking midfielder, helping to set up goals. When he was 18, a famous player named Cor Kools gave him some advice. Cor suggested that Jacques should become a striker, focusing on scoring goals.

Becoming a Senior Player

On March 6, 1960, Jacques Visschers played his very first game for the main NAC Breda team. It was an away match against a team called Sittardia. In 1961, he became a semi-professional football player. This means he earned some money from playing, but it wasn't his only job. He earned about 1500 guilders a year, which was the Dutch money at the time.

In 1965, NAC Breda was moved down to a lower league called the Eerste Divisie. Jacques felt very responsible for this. He said, "I always say it's my fault." He usually scored 10 to 15 goals each season, but that year he only scored two. This made him think about stopping football. He felt the game was becoming too tough for technical players like him.

Jacques Visschers played his last game for NAC Breda on June 6, 1971, against a team called MVV. He played a total of 282 matches for NAC Breda and scored an amazing 129 goals! After this, he retired from playing professional football.

After His Playing Career

After he stopped playing football, Jacques Visschers worked in the financial world. He eventually became a financial director for a company called Nimox. But he never truly left football behind!

From 1967 to 1977, he was a board member of the VVCS. This group helps professional football players in the Netherlands. Later, in 1978, he was asked to join a special committee for the KNVB, which is the main football organization in the Netherlands. He also became NAC Breda's team manager after his playing days.

From the 1990s, Jacques Visschers spent less time on his volunteer roles. Instead, he enjoyed supporting NAC Breda from the stands as a fan. In 2003, he joined NAC Breda's supervisory board. This happened after the club almost went bankrupt, and he helped save it. From 2003, he was in charge of football matters and finding new players for the club.

Later, around 2009-2010, NAC Breda faced money problems again. Jacques Visschers and some other board members decided to step down.

Awards and Honors

Jacques Visschers received many honors for his hard work and dedication to Dutch football.

• He was given a special award from the KNVB called "De Nederlandse Leeuw," which means "The Dutch Lion."
• NAC Breda's chairman, Willem van der Hoeve, made Jacques Visschers an "Member of Honour" for all his great work for the club.
• On August 24, 2008, Jacques Visschers was made a member of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This is a special award given by the Dutch government to people who have made big contributions to society. He received it for his important work in football, especially in Breda and for Dutch football in general.