Jerry Haatrecht
Encyclopedia
Jerry Haatrecht was a Dutch
-Suriname
footballer
. During his career he served Cambuur Leeuwarden
as well as a bunch of amateur clubs including VV Neerlandia '31. He died at the age of 28, when on June 7, 1989 he was killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764
air crash in Paramaribo
. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Winnie Haatrecht
.
Both Jerry and Winnie Haatrecht were known as talented youth players and were always playing at the Balboa Square in Amsterdam
with their buddies Ruud Gullit
and Frank Rijkaard
. All four they joined the youth squads of AFC Ajax and became part of a high quality group of players, where also players like Wim Kieft
, Marco van Basten, Gerald Vanenburg
, Sonny Silooy
and John Bosman
were their team mates.
Jerry and Winnie were not able to get a professional contract at Ajax and both left the club for a club in other regions of the Netherlands. Winnie signed for Willem II Tilburg
, while Jerry moved to Cambuur Leeuwarden
. Jerry's adventure was no success, as his mentality and his discipline were not strong enough to eventually break through in professional football. He decided to move to the amateur divisions and served several teams before joining VV Neerlandia '31. Before the start of the 1989-90 season he switched to yet another amateur team, when he signed a new contract for FC Sloterplas.
Brother Winnie, at that time playing for SC Heerenveen was invited by Sonny Hasnoe, the founder of the Colourful 11 to be part of the team and travel to Suriname to play in the "Boxel Kleurrijk Tournament" with three Surinamese teams. However Winnie withdrew from the squad close to the deadline and as a result Jerry was asked to join the team instead of Winnie, which he immediately accepted. The Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, killing 176 of the 187 on-board, including Haatrecht, making it the worst ever aviation disaster in Suriname's history. Among the dead were a total of 15 members of the Colourful 11, only three of them survived. The crash and the appearance of both Gullit and Rijkaard at his funeral made Jerry Haatrecht a well known footballer worldwide.
Winnie Haatrecht was totally shocked by the disaster and his brother's death. He decided it was better to move from all the media attention and signed a contract in the Swiss
second division.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. During his career he served Cambuur Leeuwarden
Cambuur Leeuwarden
SC Cambuur , formed on June 19, 1964, is a Dutch football club from Leeuwarden, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie. The club's home ground is the 10,250 seater Cambuur Stadion and they play in yellow shirts and blue shorts. The club's emblem originates from the coat of arms of the House of...
as well as a bunch of amateur clubs including VV Neerlandia '31. He died at the age of 28, when on June 7, 1989 he was killed in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764
Surinam Airways Flight PY764
Surinam Airways Flight 764 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname on a Surinam Airways DC-8...
air crash in Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Winnie Haatrecht
Winnie Haatrecht
Winston Haatrecht is a retired Dutch-Suriname footballer and currently a player's agent. During his playing career he served AFC Ajax, Willem II Tilburg, AZ, SC Heerenveen, FC La Chaux-de-Fonds, Cambuur Leeuwarden and TOP Oss...
.
Both Jerry and Winnie Haatrecht were known as talented youth players and were always playing at the Balboa Square in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
with their buddies Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
and Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch football manager of Dutch and Surinamese descent and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side,...
. All four they joined the youth squads of AFC Ajax and became part of a high quality group of players, where also players like Wim Kieft
Wim Kieft
Willem "Wim" Cornelis Nicolaas Kieft is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a centre forward.A prolific goalscorer whose main asset resided in his heading ability, he played in his country for two of the most important clubs, Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven, with equal team and individual...
, Marco van Basten, Gerald Vanenburg
Gerald Vanenburg
Gerald Mervin Vanenburg is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a right winger.He amassed Eredivisie totals of 372 games and 112 goals for Ajax and PSV combined, winning fifteen major titles between the two clubs, including the 1988 European Cup with the latter...
, Sonny Silooy
Sonny Silooy
Jan Jacobus Silooy is a former Dutch footballer, who is now an assistant manager for D.C. United of Major League Soccer.-Club:...
and John Bosman
John Bosman
Johannes "John" Jacobus Bosman is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a striker.A prolific goalscorer for both club and country, he played professionally for 19 years, most notably with Ajax and Anderlecht , surpassing the 100-goal mark with both clubs and winning a total of eight major...
were their team mates.
Jerry and Winnie were not able to get a professional contract at Ajax and both left the club for a club in other regions of the Netherlands. Winnie signed for Willem II Tilburg
Willem II Tilburg
Willem II , also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia...
, while Jerry moved to Cambuur Leeuwarden
Cambuur Leeuwarden
SC Cambuur , formed on June 19, 1964, is a Dutch football club from Leeuwarden, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie. The club's home ground is the 10,250 seater Cambuur Stadion and they play in yellow shirts and blue shorts. The club's emblem originates from the coat of arms of the House of...
. Jerry's adventure was no success, as his mentality and his discipline were not strong enough to eventually break through in professional football. He decided to move to the amateur divisions and served several teams before joining VV Neerlandia '31. Before the start of the 1989-90 season he switched to yet another amateur team, when he signed a new contract for FC Sloterplas.
Brother Winnie, at that time playing for SC Heerenveen was invited by Sonny Hasnoe, the founder of the Colourful 11 to be part of the team and travel to Suriname to play in the "Boxel Kleurrijk Tournament" with three Surinamese teams. However Winnie withdrew from the squad close to the deadline and as a result Jerry was asked to join the team instead of Winnie, which he immediately accepted. The Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed during approach to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, killing 176 of the 187 on-board, including Haatrecht, making it the worst ever aviation disaster in Suriname's history. Among the dead were a total of 15 members of the Colourful 11, only three of them survived. The crash and the appearance of both Gullit and Rijkaard at his funeral made Jerry Haatrecht a well known footballer worldwide.
Winnie Haatrecht was totally shocked by the disaster and his brother's death. He decided it was better to move from all the media attention and signed a contract in the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
second division.