Den Bosch aims to get Brabant moving with EHL FINALS

Den Bosch chairman Rob Almering says the ABN AMRO EHL FINALS will provide a spectacle which “we hope will inspire all of Brabant to get moving”.

The club will host the competition for the first time from April 16 to 21 at their famous grounds near the Oosterplas lake with 20 of Europe’s top teams competing over 26 matches for the men’s and women’s titles.

In addition, the festival also features Hockey ID and Under-14 tournaments, along with many other side events that form part of the EHL world.

Speaking to hockey.nl earlier this month, Almering says his club has good knowledge of how to host major events having welcomed the EuroHockey Club Cup and Pro League matches in the past.

And bringing events of this magnitude to Den Bosch is very much part of the club ethos.

“We actually already took into account the possibility of hosting something like this when we built our new complex in 2016,” Almering said.

“Together with BrabantSport and the municipality, we have been working for a number of years to secure the financing that comes with it. Now we have finally succeeded.”

To that end, BrabantSport is playing a crucial role: ‘They see it as an opportunity to inspire the youth of Brabant to get moving. Not just children from Den Bosch, but the entire region. We fully support that goal.

“We already notice that surrounding clubs want to buy tickets for a large number of members. In addition, we explicitly want to invite schools from neighborhoods where children often have less easy access to sports for activities and to watch matches.

“We are already doing that in Den Bosch, but we are expanding to the rest of the province. Ultimately, we hope to organise this event for several years and then, in collaboration with other clubs in the region, such as Oranje-Rood.

“In this way, we put the region on the map and we continue to focus on inspiring the youngest youth to play sports and preferably also to play hockey.”

The club is drawing on around 400 volunteers to make things happen.

‘That is of course incredibly nice and also very necessary. There is so much to be done, both before and during the event itself. Think of arranging an extra stand, catering, parking spaces, placing stands with merchandise, security, receiving sponsors and setting up rooms for referees, press, first aid and of course the participating teams.

“The facilities are largely there but it obviously takes some effort to ensure that everything runs smoothly during the weekend.”

This will all be done in conjunction with the EHL and KNHB events team while Den Bosch is also liaising with former hosts from Pinoké and AH&BC Amsterdam.

“It would be a shame not to use their knowledge and experience. That is why our club manager has already spoken to Pinoké and Amsterdam several times. We will undoubtedly do that more often in the coming months. Their experience with the mobility issue alone will come in handy.

“Because we are relatively close to Germany and Belgium, we also expect many visitors from those countries – in addition to supporters from all corners of the Netherlands itself. That alone requires a good parking plan!

‘The real work has yet to begin. But when I see how many warm reactions there are from the club and how many people have already volunteered to help, I am convinced that we will get it done.

“The only thing we have no influence on is the weather. And on the results of course. But if visitors go home with a smile and we have inspired young people to start playing sports and hockey, then the event has been a success for us.”

** Top picture by Frank Reelick

The post Den Bosch aims to get Brabant moving with EHL FINALS first appeared on EHL.