Forget the egg hunt, Easter bunny munching or gourmetting with the in-laws. Union, Alecto, Horn, Delta Venlo, Zwart-Wit, DES and Phoenix have only one mission: hoist up that silver trophy. Friday night the semifinals, Monday the finals. For these teams, nothing beats the Silver Cup. Not even a weekend at Center Parcs or a hug from grandma.
Union H1
Union started the cup season in the Gold Cup, thanks to last year’s semifinal spot in the Silver Cup. The ticket resulted in a game against transitional class Were Di. One game, one elimination – thanks and goodbye, Gold Cup. Then the goal tap in Nijmegen opened: the team scored 21 goals in four Silver Cup games.
They can score in Nijmegen, even as leaders in the First Division. Becoming champion was one of Union’s goals, as was reaching the Cup semifinals. Now that that has been achieved, it is also time for a silver cup as far as they are concerned. Last year the selection stranded in the semifinals, so perhaps there is still some old pain. Time for revenge.
Union H1.
Zwart-Wit H1
The men of Zwart-Wit played all their cup games this season in 2025. In fact, before the winter break, a Silver Cup night went off twice due to poor weather conditions. Therefore, the field hockey calendar in Breda is completely bursting at the seams. Secretly, the men were also looking forward to Easter, the first free weekend since the start of the second half of the season.
That is also the reason why one of the coaches from Brabant might just miss the highlight of the season. He is enjoying a vacation this long weekend. For that reason he will miss the first away game of the cup season. Zwart-Wit has played all four previous games on home soil. It will be Friday night – without Silver Cup entertainment – to get used to the Breda fields.
⏰ Semifinal: Friday 8:30 p.m. | Union – Zwart-Wit
📍Location: Malden, Union
Black-White H1.
Alecto D1
Alecto had the Easter weekend all planned out. Nice getaway, no field hockey for a while. But then you win the quarterfinals against HCAS after shoot-outs… so all plans were cancelled. Two weekends away were cancelled and practically all Easter breakfasts have already been cancelled. Seeing the family this weekend is fine by them in Leiderdorp. But with a banner at the field hockey club.
Phoenix D1
Immediately after their daughters reached the semi-finals, the mothers of the players came up with a plan. Namely, they arranged a superdeluxe catered Easter breakfast on Monday morning. No eggs at the kitchen table, but along the line. Because the mothers are sure that their offspring will make it to the cup final. Sandwiches, boiled eggs and fresh gravy while their daughters tussle for the cup. There’s no better Easter picture, right?
⏰ Semifinal: Friday 8:30 p.m. | Alecto – Phoenix
📍Location: Leiderdorp, Alecto
Phoenix D1.
Delta Venlo H1
If the Silver Cup had a trophy for travel time, Delta Venlo would be on the podium by now. After all, this season’s greatest mile-eaters are from Venlo. And let that be the best motivation for the Limburg men? Because if you have to cross the country two Fridays in a row, you better win the cup tournament as well.
For the Silver Cup, Venlo traveled to Sint-Oedenrode and Nuenen, but those were peanuts compared to the distances that followed later. The quarterfinals were played against Ommoord. Indeed, Rotterdam. Some 177 kilometers away and more than two hours away without (!) traffic jams. If you think it can’t get much further, you are wrong. Next Friday the men will embark on another world tour. Hoorn is about 221 kilometers away. And that is a 2.5 hour drive from Venlo, without a pee break or traffic jam.
Delta Venlo H1.
Hoorn H1
“Don’t even think about me being there on Easter Monday,” was the message practically all of Hoorn’s men sent in their family app groups. Only one player was a little bit bummed about the full field hockey schedule over the Easter weekend. After all, he was supposed to be working hard in his newly planted garden. Anyway, the rest of the team thinks he should trade his turf for the water field. Tough luck. A green garden can wait, a Silver Cup can’t.
Horn played the most Silver Cup games of the remaining teams this season. In fact, the men from North Holland already competed in Round 4, when they were allowed to visit Leeuwarden (1-7). Five games later, they are in the semifinals.
⏰ Semi-final: Friday 20:30 | Hoorn – Delta Venlo
📍Location: Zwaag, Hoorn
DES D1
DES is perhaps the most feared team in the Silver Cup. In fact, the Brabanders won the tournament in 2024. The Silver Cup is somewhere in the clubhouse in Kaatsheuvel and the selection really has no intention of relinquishing it. Because such a party as last year, they definitely want to experience again. Again, all Easter activities have been cancelled. There will be a full breakfast, but on Monday morning with the entire team.
DES has not yet played a single home game in the Silver Cup this season – they did play in the Gold Cup, when they lost after shoot-outs to Maastricht (0-0) in September. But for away games they have since found a solution as well. They will take a bus full of supporters to Amsterdam on Friday night, where they will compete with AthenA for a final spot.
DES D1.
AthenA D1
Not only at Zwart-Wit is the staff incomplete. Also at AthenA, the coach was a little too enthusiastic with his Easter plans. He boarded a plane on Friday evening during the semi-final and only heard after landing how his girls had fared without his presence.
Fortunately, the Amsterdam ladies themselves were a little more forward-thinking. One player in particular deserves kudos for that. She makes a gigantic, shared team agenda every year, in which every imaginable moment is blocked off: training camps, team outings, exams, birthdays, and yes, even potential semi-finals on the Easter weekend. In August it was already circled in red: this weekend we are keeping this weekend free. But then, of course, you have to survive a few rounds first…
⏰ Semifinal: Friday 20:30 | AthenA – DES
📍Location: Amsterdam, AthenA
AthenA D1.
by Hockey.nl
