Spieren voor Spieren, a children's charity based in Utrecht, has been awarded £86,000 (€100,000) in lottery funding after winning the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The charity, whose name translates to Muscles for Muscles, is working to transform the lives of 20,000 children suffering from muscular diseases in the Netherlands. It aims to better understand muscle diseases by investing in faster diagnoses, new treatments, and helping youngsters to participate in physical activity despite their illness.
Award launched to give back to communities
Allwyn, a multinational lottery and gaming entertainment company and a partner of F1, launched the award to give back to the communities in which the sport operates. The company praised the charity for using sport to promote inclusion and long-term positive change.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Monique Maks, director of Spieren voor Spieren, said: “We were quite hysteric. We are in close contact with the families. We all know how much joy and perspective in their lives this can bring. We were really excited and we are screaming. A lot of people were on holiday so went and phoned each other. It was nice to be part of. This is not a normal donation, this is a lot.”
Donation to support annual sports day
The full donation is being used to support the 2026 Spieren voor Spieren Day, held on 30 August. This is an annual event for 600 participants, where children with muscle diseases and their families can get a taste of new sports.
Monique told Express.co.uk: “It's very unique. On this day we bring hundreds of the families, medical specialists, sports teachers, we bring them all together and they can do all different types of sports. That’s the first time in their life they can try different sports, discover their potential, find the sports that really suit them and they can make friends, connect with peers, share experiences.”
Monique added: “For this annual event it is enough to organise everything and bring everybody together. If we couldn't have this money, we couldn't have organised the event. We know how much it means for the children and for us.”
Families invited to Zandvoort
In a massive boost, some of the children and their parents were even invited to Zandvoort to see the racing action up close.
Aleš Veselý, CEO of Allwyn Czechia and F1 Allwyn Global Community Award judge, said: "Spieren voor Spieren’s mission perfectly embodies the Award’s focus of empowerment and inclusion, creating an environment where children and their families can experience genuine connection with others facing similar challenges. The combination of sport, family engagement and community building makes the project highly visible, emotionally compelling, and strongly aligned with the spirit of the F1® Allwyn Global Community Award."
