With international games being played over the weekend, most of the top korfball enjoyed a rest week before the final charge towards the end of the hall season. For the record the Dutch won their games at each age level by reasonably comfortable margins. The unusually warm weather here has also been strange with many of the locals lamenting that there is no natural ice to skate on yet and the arrival of such ice not even looking likely! Instead we will just have to be content with watching the snow and ice from the Winter Olympics.
This week I thought I would reflect on club that has taken this kiwi korfball orphan in and, despite the challenges the club faces, what makes it so special.
DOS ’46 has created a proud history for itself in becoming one of the most successful clubs in Dutch korfball history. DOS ’46 have won a numbers of titles at junior level, both indoor and outdoor, and become national champions in 1982, 2006, 2007 and 2009 in the senior hall competition and European Champions in 1982, 2007, 2008 and 2010. This is a very impressive record for a club from the village of Nijeveen, which boosts less than 4000 residents.
Today, DOS ’46 faces a number of challenges to return to those golden years. The club is in search of a new head trainer for next season with the retirement of Herman Van Gunst. Recently the club chairman resigned and the first team have missed out on the playoffs for promotion back to the Korfball League. Also my fourth team was withdrawn from the competition, leaving DOS ’46 with only four senior teams (the fifth team still plays on Sundays). It would be easy to get hung up on these challenges and concerned for the clubs future success. Here is the perspective of an outsider turned insider, kiwi turned Dosser, on what makes this club great and why it will become Dutch champion once again.
The Youth
DOS ’46 has an established reputation for success that continues to draw top players to the club for all around the northern part of the Netherlands. Not only that, DOS ’46 has an incredible youth development programme. Starting with DOS KIDs, the newly established korfball institute for youth that runs extra training for younger players, drawing on the incredible knowledge base in the club established from the last 30 years of success. Not only do the youth players benefit from the clubs internal korfball knowledge, guest trainers are regularly used to run the sessions including current and former top players as well as current Korfball League coaches. But DOS ’46 is not running this just for the benefit of themselves; the current DOS KIDs programme is for youth from other clubs, many of whom travel up to an hour to attend the Sunday morning sessions. During these sessions the DOS banner hangs proudly on the wall stating ‘Eendracht Maakt Macht’ (the English translation of the meaning is ‘Unity Is Strength’), through creating unity with other clubs DOS ’46 continues to grow its own strength as well.
DOS ’46 also continues to be one of the most successful clubs at junior level in the Netherlands. This year is a perfect illustration of that with A1, B1 and C1 all currently in the top few teams in their respective competitions. Over the weekend I watched DOS ’46 C1 comfortably beat their counterparts from Dalto (a Korfball League club) and in doing so, they secured a place at the national finals day on March 22. This team includes some second generation Dossers, children of some of DOS ‘46’s past top players and honestly, it is ridiculous watching the incredible talent of these young korfball players.
The other team I have been most closely associated with is A1, full of talent, including two current Dutch U19 players. This team is also consistently at the top of the country, most recently winning the 2011/12 field competition and last year was a losing finalist in Ahoy for the hall competition. This year DOS ’46 A1 are again looking dangerous and should easily qualify for the semi-final cross over matches. The teams in the other pool will be nervous about coming up against this team, determined to return for another taste of the final in Ahoy.
While we are talking about the younger players it should be noted that most of the players in the A-selection are also very young, many aged 19-24, and some of them fresh from competing in that A1 Ahoy final last year. Three of the selection play for Jong Oranje (the junior national side). With more experience and hard work over the next years, this young squad has the potential to be transformed into a top Dutch side.
With such incredible young talent at the club and no doubt more arriving every season, the future of the club while continue to shine.
The Knowledge
Even though the current head coach is retiring, DOS ’46 is stacked with brains that are exploding with korfball knowledge and understanding. From the statesman Albert Lucas who was captain of that 1982 championship team to names like Nico Buiten, Roger Hulzebosch and Daniel Hulzebosch, all former first team captains who have turned their hands to coaching to share their deep knowledge and understanding of what makes a great team. Let’s not forget the connections that these men and many others at the club have to a much wider net of knowledge from all over the korfball world. You could focus on the fact that the club is not in the Korfball League at the moment or you could marvel at the achievement of having DOS 1, 2 and three all competing in the Hoofdklasse, pretty impressive considering the small number of senior teams presently in the club.
With the knowledge base that exists at DOS ’46, there will never be a shortage of smart brains to help guide the club past any challenge.
The People
All too often in sport we get focused on the elite; those players and teams who stand out, get the publicity and attention. The people that are the real lifeblood of a sport and a club are those who make up the majority, those who may never play top sport but love playing their sport, those who may not play at all but have passion for their club and help in other ways. In earlier posts you might remember me talking about the great DOS family and this club is definitely like one big family, now with a annoying little brother that means everyone speaks a bit more English than they used to!
DOS ’46 took a couple of kiwi korfballers in this season to help us improve our skills and knowledge, returning to New Zealand to grow the sport back home. DOS ’46 had no idea if it would work out well or be a complete disaster, we were the first foreigners at the club. But they were prepared to take a chance and to try something new. Every step of the way the club, and more specifically the people in the club, have made every effort to make us feel welcome and to provide as many opportunities as possible to gain more korfball experience. Thanks to Roger and Wim Heite I was physio with the Noord U19 team and went to the Korfball Challenge. DOS 3 is constantly inviting me on their road trips away now I don’t have games to play myself. I have been invited to watch Korfball League games and helped as physio for A1. Let’s remember, none if this is easy because although my understanding of Dutch continues to improve, English is still an easier way to communicate which makes it tough on the locals. Despite that challenge they still do it with a smile.
Another perfect example of the DOS ’46 family is clubroom at either the field or the sport hall. Just over the weekend it took me well over an hour to leave as every time I went to leave someone else wanted to have a chat. This included even walking outside and being about to leave on my bike before being talked into coming back inside for another coffee by Martijn, the trainer of DOS 3! There is such a unique social and supportive atmosphere created at the clubroom that if you let it infect you it is very difficult to escape. Chances are when you do leave; it’ll be with a smile on your face.
I know I’m not the only one that has been infected by the richness of the culture at DOS ’46. There are a number of people involved at the club who grew up and worked in different areas all over the Netherlands, eventually being coerced into coming to DOS ’46 as a coach or a player. The thing is, that because of the positively infectious environment here, many of those people never leave. After traveling to and from Nijeveen, they eventually move here, buying houses and having families that are now becoming the next generation of DOS ’46 korfball players. Talking to a number of people around the club, this story repeats itself again and again!
Then there are unsung heroes; those that week in week out put their hearts into the club to help it continue to pulsate. These are the committee members, the canteen workers, the parents, the business club, the people who run the website, twitter and facebook accounts just to name a few. The DOS ’46 twitter account has one of the largest followings from any club in the Netherlands! The passion these people have for the club is what continues to make the club great through any challenge, no matter how difficult. During the weekend just passed, there was the DOS Dolle Driegangen Diner. A progressive dinner where you share either an entrée, main or desert with two other couples, moving on to the next course at another location but not knowing who you would enjoy that course with until you arrived there. Apart from the odd hangover the next day, all everyone was talking about was how great the evening was, how much they enjoyed the food and how much fun they had.
Yes, there are some challenges ahead for DOS ’46, challenges that I see as being very similar to the ones we are trying to work through with korfball in New Zealand. It is easy to focus on those challenges rather than looking at what makes the club special. It is those special qualities above that will provide DOS ’46 with the platform for its return to the top.
DOS ’46 started as a little third class club. With hard work, perseverance and a little patience, they became the best korfball players in the world. Success will return to DOS ’46. With the passion, the work ethic and following the club motto, the golden years will come again.
Eendracht Maakt Macht – Unity Is Strength
Tot Ziens,
Lorenzo
This week I thought I would reflect on club that has taken this kiwi korfball orphan in and, despite the challenges the club faces, what makes it so special.
DOS ’46 has created a proud history for itself in becoming one of the most successful clubs in Dutch korfball history. DOS ’46 have won a numbers of titles at junior level, both indoor and outdoor, and become national champions in 1982, 2006, 2007 and 2009 in the senior hall competition and European Champions in 1982, 2007, 2008 and 2010. This is a very impressive record for a club from the village of Nijeveen, which boosts less than 4000 residents.
Today, DOS ’46 faces a number of challenges to return to those golden years. The club is in search of a new head trainer for next season with the retirement of Herman Van Gunst. Recently the club chairman resigned and the first team have missed out on the playoffs for promotion back to the Korfball League. Also my fourth team was withdrawn from the competition, leaving DOS ’46 with only four senior teams (the fifth team still plays on Sundays). It would be easy to get hung up on these challenges and concerned for the clubs future success. Here is the perspective of an outsider turned insider, kiwi turned Dosser, on what makes this club great and why it will become Dutch champion once again.
The Youth
DOS ’46 has an established reputation for success that continues to draw top players to the club for all around the northern part of the Netherlands. Not only that, DOS ’46 has an incredible youth development programme. Starting with DOS KIDs, the newly established korfball institute for youth that runs extra training for younger players, drawing on the incredible knowledge base in the club established from the last 30 years of success. Not only do the youth players benefit from the clubs internal korfball knowledge, guest trainers are regularly used to run the sessions including current and former top players as well as current Korfball League coaches. But DOS ’46 is not running this just for the benefit of themselves; the current DOS KIDs programme is for youth from other clubs, many of whom travel up to an hour to attend the Sunday morning sessions. During these sessions the DOS banner hangs proudly on the wall stating ‘Eendracht Maakt Macht’ (the English translation of the meaning is ‘Unity Is Strength’), through creating unity with other clubs DOS ’46 continues to grow its own strength as well.
DOS ’46 also continues to be one of the most successful clubs at junior level in the Netherlands. This year is a perfect illustration of that with A1, B1 and C1 all currently in the top few teams in their respective competitions. Over the weekend I watched DOS ’46 C1 comfortably beat their counterparts from Dalto (a Korfball League club) and in doing so, they secured a place at the national finals day on March 22. This team includes some second generation Dossers, children of some of DOS ‘46’s past top players and honestly, it is ridiculous watching the incredible talent of these young korfball players.
The other team I have been most closely associated with is A1, full of talent, including two current Dutch U19 players. This team is also consistently at the top of the country, most recently winning the 2011/12 field competition and last year was a losing finalist in Ahoy for the hall competition. This year DOS ’46 A1 are again looking dangerous and should easily qualify for the semi-final cross over matches. The teams in the other pool will be nervous about coming up against this team, determined to return for another taste of the final in Ahoy.
While we are talking about the younger players it should be noted that most of the players in the A-selection are also very young, many aged 19-24, and some of them fresh from competing in that A1 Ahoy final last year. Three of the selection play for Jong Oranje (the junior national side). With more experience and hard work over the next years, this young squad has the potential to be transformed into a top Dutch side.
With such incredible young talent at the club and no doubt more arriving every season, the future of the club while continue to shine.
The Knowledge
Even though the current head coach is retiring, DOS ’46 is stacked with brains that are exploding with korfball knowledge and understanding. From the statesman Albert Lucas who was captain of that 1982 championship team to names like Nico Buiten, Roger Hulzebosch and Daniel Hulzebosch, all former first team captains who have turned their hands to coaching to share their deep knowledge and understanding of what makes a great team. Let’s not forget the connections that these men and many others at the club have to a much wider net of knowledge from all over the korfball world. You could focus on the fact that the club is not in the Korfball League at the moment or you could marvel at the achievement of having DOS 1, 2 and three all competing in the Hoofdklasse, pretty impressive considering the small number of senior teams presently in the club.
With the knowledge base that exists at DOS ’46, there will never be a shortage of smart brains to help guide the club past any challenge.
The People
All too often in sport we get focused on the elite; those players and teams who stand out, get the publicity and attention. The people that are the real lifeblood of a sport and a club are those who make up the majority, those who may never play top sport but love playing their sport, those who may not play at all but have passion for their club and help in other ways. In earlier posts you might remember me talking about the great DOS family and this club is definitely like one big family, now with a annoying little brother that means everyone speaks a bit more English than they used to!
DOS ’46 took a couple of kiwi korfballers in this season to help us improve our skills and knowledge, returning to New Zealand to grow the sport back home. DOS ’46 had no idea if it would work out well or be a complete disaster, we were the first foreigners at the club. But they were prepared to take a chance and to try something new. Every step of the way the club, and more specifically the people in the club, have made every effort to make us feel welcome and to provide as many opportunities as possible to gain more korfball experience. Thanks to Roger and Wim Heite I was physio with the Noord U19 team and went to the Korfball Challenge. DOS 3 is constantly inviting me on their road trips away now I don’t have games to play myself. I have been invited to watch Korfball League games and helped as physio for A1. Let’s remember, none if this is easy because although my understanding of Dutch continues to improve, English is still an easier way to communicate which makes it tough on the locals. Despite that challenge they still do it with a smile.
Another perfect example of the DOS ’46 family is clubroom at either the field or the sport hall. Just over the weekend it took me well over an hour to leave as every time I went to leave someone else wanted to have a chat. This included even walking outside and being about to leave on my bike before being talked into coming back inside for another coffee by Martijn, the trainer of DOS 3! There is such a unique social and supportive atmosphere created at the clubroom that if you let it infect you it is very difficult to escape. Chances are when you do leave; it’ll be with a smile on your face.
I know I’m not the only one that has been infected by the richness of the culture at DOS ’46. There are a number of people involved at the club who grew up and worked in different areas all over the Netherlands, eventually being coerced into coming to DOS ’46 as a coach or a player. The thing is, that because of the positively infectious environment here, many of those people never leave. After traveling to and from Nijeveen, they eventually move here, buying houses and having families that are now becoming the next generation of DOS ’46 korfball players. Talking to a number of people around the club, this story repeats itself again and again!
Then there are unsung heroes; those that week in week out put their hearts into the club to help it continue to pulsate. These are the committee members, the canteen workers, the parents, the business club, the people who run the website, twitter and facebook accounts just to name a few. The DOS ’46 twitter account has one of the largest followings from any club in the Netherlands! The passion these people have for the club is what continues to make the club great through any challenge, no matter how difficult. During the weekend just passed, there was the DOS Dolle Driegangen Diner. A progressive dinner where you share either an entrée, main or desert with two other couples, moving on to the next course at another location but not knowing who you would enjoy that course with until you arrived there. Apart from the odd hangover the next day, all everyone was talking about was how great the evening was, how much they enjoyed the food and how much fun they had.
Yes, there are some challenges ahead for DOS ’46, challenges that I see as being very similar to the ones we are trying to work through with korfball in New Zealand. It is easy to focus on those challenges rather than looking at what makes the club special. It is those special qualities above that will provide DOS ’46 with the platform for its return to the top.
DOS ’46 started as a little third class club. With hard work, perseverance and a little patience, they became the best korfball players in the world. Success will return to DOS ’46. With the passion, the work ethic and following the club motto, the golden years will come again.
Eendracht Maakt Macht – Unity Is Strength
Tot Ziens,
Lorenzo