Netherlands:

Bloemendaal’s women are champions of the Promotion League. With three rounds of play to go, they can no longer be overtaken by the competition. They have thus amply achieved their goal of returning to the big league within a year of relegation.

Winning against Were Di was goal one this Sunday afternoon. That mission succeeded (3-1). But that did not clinch the championship. Only if runner-up Nijmegen lost by points, which played against Leiden, Bloemendaal could not be caught up. ‘Our match was over earlier. We stood in a circle, waiting a little nervously. We tried to call Leiden’s coach, Jorge Nolte, but he didn’t answer. Then the speaker called out that Nijmegen had played a draw,’ Bloemendaal captain Ankelein Baardemans recounted with a big smile.

What followed was an enormous discharge. ‘We looked at each other, jumped really hard, cheered and danced. Because even though our championship was bound to come, once it succeeds, it gives such a liberating feeling. This is exactly what we stayed together for after last season. Going down together and getting promoted together. I am so incredibly proud of the girls.

Against Were Di Bloemendaal was a bit of a squeeze, but the leaders won 1-3. Photo: Koen Suyk

Many coffees

Indeed, the contrast with last year could not have been greater. Back then everything was against us. Injuries, loss of form, the vicious ghost of relegation that presented itself early in the year. And last but not least the sudden brain hemorrhage of coach Jeroen Visser, who is still recovering from it. The relegation from the Tulip big league was a sledgehammer blow for a team whose goal was to structurally establish itself at the highest level.

But those who thought Bloemendaal would collapse were wrong. There was no exodus, as is often the case with relegated big league teams. Interim coach Andre Morees stayed and got Santi Freixa as assistant. And dozens of ‘coffees’ that captain Ankelein Baardemans drank with her teammates led to almost all of them committing to another season, even if it was at a lower level. Routiners Sterre Bregman and Baardemans herself. Cornerschutter Demi Hilterman. Junior players Katerina Langedijk, Ivy Tellier and goalkeeper Phileine Hazen. And so did most of the rest of the team.

The club also took a step forward instead of backward. Financially, nothing changed. All twenty players receive an allowance. Training facilities, materials, medical support, everything remained as it was. Everything to support the women as good as possible and with that hopefully a quick return to the big league.

Demi Hilterman (left) and Ankelein Baardemans (right) also celebrate the championship with their former coach Jeroen Visser. Photo: Koen Suyk

After India, Bloemendaal remained undefeated

Still, the season started stumblingly. Coach André Morees admitted that Bloemendaal played cautiously. As if the team still had to get used to the fact that they were now suddenly the team to beat. We actually have no excuses, everything is in order. But that also makes it exciting. If we don’t make it, it’s down to ourselves, he indicated in late summer.

Only after the winter break did the real acceleration come. Perhaps that also had to do with the team’s winter trip to India. Not a training camp with sprint tests and practice matches, but a trip that focused on a shared experience and making a contribution to the Bovelander Foundation. The players gave clinics to Indian children and workshops to coaches, handed out sticks and visited several cities. A team trip that exceeded their own expectations and brought the women even closer together.

Since then, the team has looked looser and more convincing. Games were won week in, week out with flair. The defense was solid and gave little away. Up front things were getting better as well and players like Rosalie Rosman, Baardemans and Hilterman were scoring a lot. Apart from a draw against Ring Pass, no more points were spilled. At the beginning of April it was already clear: Bloemendaal was off and unbeatable.

Bloemendaal coach André Morees uncorks the champagne after winning the championship. Photo: Koen Suyk

Actually, they didn’t think they would have a championship party until next week in Groningen. ‘Our parents had already booked places at a campsite and we were already busy arranging vans. We didn’t expect this at all. But that certainly doesn’t make us any less happy. What will happen next? No idea. But count on us to celebrate this very hard.’