Since 2010, member field hockey clubs in the Netherlands have received a bonus for every new Volvo purchased or leased by a field hockey player or field hockey parent. The so-called Volvo Club Bonus – an initiative of the car brand and local dealers in cooperation with the KNHB – provides clubs with up to a thousand euros per car. But what happens next with that money? Four clubs share their stories.
Delta Venlo: from skills field to playground
Delta Venlo has been using the Volvo Club Bonus for years. The club, which has about 1,600 members, always tries to link the proceeds of the bonus to a specific goal. Last year, for example, a skills field was realized: a small multifunctional sports field measuring twelve by six meters. ‘It was a wish of many youth members,’ says chairman Jeroen Bakkers. ‘We also placed basketball poles next to it. That way we encourage versatile exercise. That contributes to the motor development of young athletes.’
This season, the club is investing in a new playground. The old sandbox was flooded too often because of the high groundwater level. ‘With the money from the Club Bonus and others, we can now build a full-size playground in a better location.’
The completed skills field at Delta Venlo
Waddinxveen: safe field for toddlers
Waddinxveen, a relatively small club with 372 members, spent the Club Bonus this season on renovating the Funkey field. On this field the youngest children aged four to six train every Saturday morning. ‘The fencing needed replacing and we had the artificial turf thoroughly cleaned,’ said Martina van der Wilt, coordinator of the sponsorship committee. ‘In addition, with the proceeds from the Volvo campaign, among other things, we replaced our wooden outdoor furniture with more durable plastic furniture. It is a nice way to invest in our accommodation. Especially since we want to grow to 400 members. Then you also have to keep investing in quality.’
The new benches and tables of Waddinxveen
Alphen: from goalkeeping equipment to cold storage
For Alphen, with some 900 to 1,000 members, the Volvo Club Bonus is a welcome addition to the regular budget. ‘We never know exactly how much it brings in each year, so we don’t include it in our budget,’ says secretary Steffelien Buikema. ‘It’s really a pot for extras. For things that just don’t fit, but are badly needed.’
This year Alphen invested the proceeds in new goalkeeping equipment. ‘A lot of straps and parts were worn out. Thanks to the bonus, we were able to replace it before it really couldn’t last.’ Previously, the club also used the money for additional youth goals and unforeseen expenses, such as a broken refrigerator.
Partnership visibility is also taken seriously. At the Volvo dealership there is a mannequin with the club outfit and during the family tournament the bonus is brought to the attention. Buikema: ‘It brings in some eight thousand euros annually. That is really worth it.
Woerden: investing in talent and experience
At Woerden, the Club Bonus had been forgotten in recent years. Until this season. We have revived the campaign,” says John Loos, board member for accommodation and sponsorship. ‘We used the proceeds this year for our own youth training: the Groene Hart Hockey Academy.’
With that education, Woerden offers technical training on Fridays and Sundays all year round, also for players from outside. ‘For that we need materials: goals, pawns, etcetera. And we also invest in training trainers. With this plan we want to give our youth the chance to develop and keep them for our own club.
The Groene Hart Academy was opened with a clinic with international Koen Bijen.
Besides training players and coaches, the bonus is also used for initiatives that strengthen the club spirit: a color run through the neighborhood park, picnic tables where teams and parents meet and a camera above the scoreboard to make analyses. Loos: “We want to be more than just a place where you play field hockey. And thanks to this bonus, we can make that happen.
by Hockey.nl
