Hockey fans would be crazy not to come to Rotterdam JEROEN HERTZBERGER you have the whole season to look forward to something good. That does mean you have to play well all year long. But if you ultimately win, you can really consider yourself the best in Europe”, explains Van den Honert. “Plus, the EHL is always super exciting from the 1/8 fi nals on. On account of the knockout system every duel is a fi nal. That makes for thrilling games. The pressure is on full blast. Play one bad game, and you’re out. That’s how high the level of play is in 2012.” Another international front Jeroen Delmee played in the ‘old’ European Cup as well as the modern EHL. Last season the 401time international said goodbye to high-level hockey with a duel in the EHL. “In 1999 with Den Bosch, I conquered the European Cup I. It was unforgettable. We won in the lion’s den by beating our Spanish host Egarra”, recounts the two-time Olympic champion. “But, compared with the European Cup the EHL is an absolute improvement. There are far more top level duels, which show how beautiful club hockey can be. For internationals the EHL is also a perfect opportunity to measure themselves on an international stage other than the national team. It’s a fantastic development.” Extra income As opposed to the Dutch Rabo Hockey League, the spectators have to purchase a ticket for the EHL. “The Netherlands has the strongest club competition in the world. It’s actually very strange people can watch all the games including the play-offs for free”, says Delmee. “In amateur football you have to pay a € 3.50 entry fee even for the clubs in the lower leagues. Partly due to the EHL, hockey fans are slowly learning to pay for top level sports events. Maybe the EHL will be the impetus to soon charge for entry to duels in the national league. It would help to professionalise the sport. With that extra income the clubs could do a lot of nice things.” A wider reach Delmee, who played for Oranje Zwart in the EHL many times, feels that the EHL has increased the appreciation for the national hockey culture. “In the old days, only the national champions were able to play on European level, but now no fewer than three Dutch teams are participating in the EHL. That heightens the attraction of the event. While the European Cup used to be a private party for one club, the EHL is becoming much more popular due to the increased input from other Dutch hockey clubs. Additionally, people can watch the EHL on TV and all the highlights can be found and be viewed via internet. This has given European club hockey a far wider reach than ever before.” Belgians join in Ever since Delmee put away his hockey stick last year, he has concentrated himself completely on his coaching career. He is now active in Belgium. This hockeyfanatic is not only responsible for technical matters at the Belgian major league club Braxgata, he is also Assistant Federation Coach of the national men’s team and Federation Coach with Young 61 20 07 20 12 Pagina 60

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