Often, I nonetheless should pinch myself to test whether or not it’s actually true”, laughs Roderick Weusthof, one of many forces who managed to persuade Lidewij Welten to decide on Kampong as a substitute of the umpteenth nationwide title. Den Bosch.
Weusthof performed 153 official worldwide matches for the Dutch nationwide staff. With 354 targets, he’s the all-time prime scorer within the Dutch large league. Usually you’ll say that he has skilled nearly every thing in hockey. However as quickly as Lidewij Welten’s title is talked about, De Knoest begins to beam as whether it is all of the sudden 2007 once more and he has pushed one other penalty nook towards the ropes.
‘Barely over a yr in the past I took up the place of board member of prime hockey. Ready like this you might be conscious when contracts of internationals and different fascinating gamers who play for different golf equipment expire. So we additionally knew that about Lidewij. Along with Alexander de Vries [fellow committee member top hockey] I had a dialog along with her. We clicked straight away. After that it went fairly rapidly. Generally you additionally want a little bit of luck in life’, Weusthof laughs.
What now we have created with the boys in recent times, we additionally wish to notice for the ladies.Board member prime hockey Roderick Weusthof
The final time the ladies of Kampong certified for the play-offs was in 2010. Weusthof doesn’t wish to look that far forward, however he hopes that Welten’s arrival will speed up the belief of the membership’s ambitions. Kampong needs to progressively develop right into a staff that structurally performs within the prime 4, says the membership icon.
‘Brief-term pondering just isn’t what we would like. We actually don’t wish to make it to the play-offs subsequent season. Our plan is to proceed to develop as a membership within the coming years. What now we have created with the boys in recent times, we additionally wish to notice for the ladies. Along with the participant group, we subsequently additionally put money into the amenities. The whole lot revolves round rising progressively to the highest.’
In a way, the arrival of the dribbling queen from Den Bosch appears to be a break with the previous. Up to now, skills comparable to Eva de Goede, Xan de Waard and Marijn Veen used the Kampong membership as a springboard to a prime membership. Now a 229-time worldwide and a three-time Olympic champion goes the other approach. Weusthof hopes that with this switch he can persuade the present skills of the center engine to remain.
“As a membership now we have to be sure that they don’t even have to consider whether or not they wish to go to a different membership. The switch of Lidewij helps rather a lot with that, after all. Furthermore, her arrival additionally arouses the curiosity of different gamers. It’s simply that easy. Hopefully we are able to announce a second new title quickly. I don’t wish to say who that’s but. It’s not over but, however a minimum of we’re in talks.’
convey expertise
Naturally, coach Fleur van de Kieft – 137-time worldwide – can be pleased with the arrival of the highest participant from Den Bosch. A while in the past, the 2 had a dialog. ‘Lidewij advised me she would decide inside two weeks. Per week and a half later the contract was signed. That exhibits how a lot she wished to come back’, smiles Van de Kieft.
She factors out the various younger skills in her staff. Luna Fokke and Carlijn Tukkers will play the World Cup below 21 in South Africa with the Dutch Juniors in the beginning of April. Vanessa Blockmans (19) has already performed worldwide matches for Belgium. Bieke Wijnmaalen can be seen as a expertise and Eline Jansen, Noor van den Nieuwenhof, Tess Zweers and goalkeeper Babette Backers flowed by way of the A’s this season. The common age of the staff can be 21.5 years. Olympic champion Malou Pheninckx (30) might have sufficient expertise, however it’s unknown how lengthy she is going to proceed to play hockey. Routiniers Michelle Simons and Carmen Wijsman by no means performed within the Dutch nationwide staff.
“We’ve got a reasonably younger staff and we’re in search of expertise. I count on that Lidewij can elevate the coaching stage and enhance and information our younger skills. Those that finally wish to go to Orange will quickly have the ability to study from Lidewij what it takes and what prime hockey entails. Her arrival is actually unbelievable for this staff.’
