Netherlands eye ‘explosive growth’ in hockey

Netherlands eye ‘explosive growth’ in hockey

March 04, 2014 - 8:26:36 am
Doha:  Sixteen years back when Netherlands hosted the World Cup in hockey the country saw an ‘explosive growth’ in the popularity of the game. 

The Dutch are expecting history to repeat itself.

“The last time we hosted the World Cup in 1998 membership increased from 125,000 in 1998 to 225,000 in 2009. Hockey became increasingly popular, especially among young boys and girls,” said Lex Donia, an official of the FIH Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014 Organising Committee and a member of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond (KNHB).

The three-time World Cup winners will host the 13th edition from May 31 to June 15 in The Hague, a city which is the seat of the International Court of Justice, and are looking for a significant rise in the number of players joining the 300-odd hockey clubs based in the country after the event.

Donia said the Netherlands have a strong hockey club culture and had some 600 to 700 artificial turfs all over the country.

“The Dutch has a very rich hockey culture and club system. Amsterdam,  Rotterdam, Utrech and ‘s-Hertogenbosch are some of the regions where hockey is dominant. Clubs with more than 1000 members are not an exception in Holland. The Netherlands has 80 such clubs, all run by volunteers,” said Donia.

 In The Hague, the Cruyff Courts and Richard Krajicek Playgrounds are spread throughout the city, these artificial turfs  field are named after Johan Cruyff, famous Dutch football player and Krajjicek,  the tennis player who grew up in The Hague.

“By creating playgrounds and playing fields and organising relevant activities for young people the municipality of The Hague aims to stimulate youth to play and exercise together this objective is part of the policy plan of the city,” said Karsten Klein, Deputy Mayor and The Hague’s Alderman for Youth, Welfare and Sport. Besides the 1998 World Cup, the Netherlands have also hosted some of the top tier events in the past including the Champions Trophy in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2008, the Junior World Cup for men in 2005 and the Euro Hockey Nations Championships for Men and Women in 2009.

“All hockey lovers in The Hague are dreaming of admiring great hockey stars from up close in a lovely, large and safe stadium. In addition to top-level hockey visitors from the Netherlands and beyond will get to enjoy the city of The Hague and  all of the beauty that the magnificent, green, historic city by the sea has to offer with respect to entertainment, art and culture,” Klien added.

The Netherlands, which hosted the 1928 Olympics, and have set a plan in motion to bid for the 2028  Games with Amsterdam as the host city are hosting several high profile events in  bid to gather useful experience before bidding for the games.   “As hockey always played an important role  in our Olympic and sports history we would consider a great honour to host the World Cup. Useful experience from hosting previous major sports event in the Netherlands can be combined with a sports-minded atmosphere.These championships can contribute to a bigger plan - to take everything that Holland has to offer to a Olympic level,” Andre Bolhuis, President of the Netherlands Olympic Committee said.

The total cost of the World Cup is estimated at 11m euros. The Hague will bear the costs of the construction of the artificial turf in the stadium, as well as the construction of the second stadium and artificial turf.

The main stadium, home of Ado Den Haag, The Hague professional football club, has a capacity for 15,000 spectators while the second stadium with hold 5,000.

The Peninsula

 http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/sports/hockey-field/274752/netherlands-eye-explosive-growth-in-hockey

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