A new publication aimed at the sports sector has been launched this week. Sports Executive, which started life as a Danish-language magazine, focuses on sport and its role within society, business and politics. Here we bring you an exclusive article from the inaugural English language version.
In Amsterdam Tiffany Abreu feels 100 percent like a woman. But at her volleyball club, US Amsterdam, she is the most valuable attacker on the men’s team. Meet a sportswoman who is shifting the boundaries.
Brazilian born Tiffany Abreu is the star of Amsterdam volleyball team ‘US Heren 1’. Before February 2015 she was known as Rodrigo. As a volleyball player, Rodrigo travelled the world, playing in Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Indonesia, France and Belgium. When he arrived in the Netherlands, his powerful attacking style quickly propelled him to the second-highest level, the ‘Topdivisie’.
Over the course of his career, Rodrigo’s homosexuality was widely accepted by his respective volleyball clubs, as long as he didn’t make it obvious. Having a life outside of sport, which for him involved going out and partying late into the night, was no longer possible.
“As long as I wasn’t prancing around and squealing when I arrived at the court, I could be whoever I wanted to be. But the strict confines of elite sport still do not allow for lavish lifestyles, so without that kind of freedom I felt alone. Who would want to have a relationship with a travelling, homosexual volleyball player? Besides that, I wasn’t even sure that was who I really was.”
Rodrigo resigned himself to playing volleyball at an amateur level. He felt pigeonholed into a category in which he didn’t fit. He wanted to find out what he could do to be happier, so he called a friend for some advice. His friend put him in contact with a volleyball club in Amersfoort in the Netherlands. While Amersfoort gave him a warm and friendly reception, it had no nightlife, so a switch to a club in Amsterdam was quickly arranged.
“I have never been so openly and warmly received as I have here in the Netherlands. The beauty of the Dutch is that they immediately welcome you into their hearts. Regardless of whether you’re fat, skinny, beautiful or ugly, you’ll have a chance of getting a job as long as you work hard.”
The transsexual athlete noticed that much more emphasis was placed on appearance in the southern European countries than in the Netherlands.
“Here in Amsterdam I can walk down the street however I like. That wasn’t the case in Spain, Portugal or even Brazil. There it doesn’t matter how smart or capable you are; if your eyes aren’t the right colour, you won’t get a job.”
The transition from having the physical characteristics of a man to having those of a woman is also better regulated in the Netherlands than in Rodrigo’s, now Tiffany’s, homeland. But it is a slow and complex process.
“That I can be myself here and continue to play volleyball is of great value to me. I don’t have to be anyone other than who I am. That wouldn’t have been possible in Brazil or Spain.”
The Dutch Volleyball Federation has told Tiffany that as long as she does not undergo gender reassignment surgery she can continue playing for the men’s team. For important matches Tiffany pins her hair up and wears a headband and make-up. But she does not know if she will ever play in the women’s league. That depends on how her body responds to the hormone replacement treatments.
However, the hormone treatments have not caused Tiffany any problems yet.
“I am grateful that I can continue playing volleyball at a high level until my transformation is complete. I don’t mind waiting to have a shower until all of the others have finished.”
‘US Heren’ 1’s coach, Christophe George, has no problem with the changes Rodrigo is undergoing either.
"As long as everyone on my team gives 100 percent, I don’t care what they are outside of the sport. If my players feel good and play their best out on the court, that’s more than enough for me. Of course, it also helps that Rodrigo was our star player last season and that Tiffany will continue to fulfil that role this season. Her name might have changed, but her commitment and enthusiasm are the same."
Tiffany’s teammate, Robbert van Leeuwen, agrees:
“Inside that 9 by 9-metre court, there is only one thing that matters: Winning! Tiffany plays hard. I might tease her once in a while and say, ‘You’re hitting like a girl. Are you having a bad day’? Then you can count on the next ball being smashed into the ground even harder!”
Teammate Lennart Huibers points out that the tolerant approach on the court may not always be shared by the league’s spectators:
“On the court Tiffany is just one of the guys, but sometimes people will heckle her from the stands at away games.”
While this could be a challenge for Tiffany, she has her own way of dealing with it, coach Christophe George says:
“At times I have to warn Tiffany that some clubs have less open-minded crowds than others. But she just replies, ‘They can yell all they want – I can’t understand them anyway’.”
This article ‘Tiffanny is thuis’ was first published in Het Parool on 18 June 2014 and covered by Manôu Abreu for Sport Executive
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