Just five years ago, their clubhouse was an old beach house. Changing clothes was done in a temporary outhouse. The newly founded Muiden had only a handful of teams, but is now one of the fastest growing clubs in the country. And that despite a downright unfortunate start.
Call it annoying timing. Bad luck. A twist of fate. Right in the corona period, Muiden was founded. In 2020. The year the world was turned upside down. Lockdowns determined whether hockey could be played in the old Gooi fortified town.
But Muiden pressed ahead with plans as usual. They got the remarkable scoop of becoming the first field hockey club founded online. Chairman Ralph van Oss told us back in May 2020. ‘But back then we didn’t know that corona would define our lives for so long,’ the director says five years later. He is still chairman of the North Holland club. ‘That made it harder to build our culture. To nest. We grabbed every moment when something could be done with both hands. For example, the first St. Nicholas party was pretty spectacular. The Saint landed with a helicopter on our main field. Unique.
Every year Muiden, which is part of an omniclub, grew by about 25 percent. In the past three seasons, membership even doubled. The counter now stands at nearly three hundred members. ‘Developments follow at a rapid pace,’ Van Oss says. ‘When we started we only had one team that did not play in the youngest youth, a girls D1. Those girls now all play field hockey in the B and now train themselves.’
A full clubhouse during the Sinterklaas celebration at Muiden. Photo: SC Muiden
‘Men’s 1’ rebuilt the clubhouse
Meanwhile, the number of teams has grown to 21, an impressive fact, given its limited history. ‘Thanks to a small, strong group of volunteers, we have indeed managed to do that pretty quickly. People who didn’t know each other five years ago and are now in almost daily contact. Special right? We build the association together. For example, our Men’s 1 – that’s what we call our Sevens team – rebuilt part of the clubhouse during the Christmas vacations. You dream of such involvement when you start a club.’
Muiden was also a bit lucky. At the time the club was being pulled out of the ground, a new housing estate was being built around the corner. ‘With a lot of young children and young parents. People who were often not from the locality. Yes, then it’s nice to have a field hockey club here, where you can walk to. But there were also members from the old Muiden, who didn’t play field hockey yet or played in the neighborhood.’
Because yes, Muiden is in a particularly field hockey dense area. Weesp, Naarden, Abcoude, Athena and Gooische are all within fifteen minutes (by car) driving distance. ‘We mainly wanted to become a club of our little town. Where you just blow by, people know each other. Or get to know each other. It may sound very cliché, but we wanted to become a warm family club. A club that would be a household name in our town.
SC Muiden’s youth in action. Photo: SC Muiden
‘I think that is perhaps the most beautiful thing. That we have already succeeded in that. I am extremely proud when we see all those young kids cycling through the streets on Saturday mornings. In the uniform that we came up with ourselves. That girls and boys walk to school every day in their Muiden hooded jerseys. Because they are proud of their club. Laughs, “Yes, even my own children do that.
Once again help from the housing market
They now have their own family tournament, along with their soccer neighbors from the omniclub. A technical manager. Professional trainers. But of course there are still plenty of dreams. Is Muiden looking forward to their first Under18 team, which may see the light of day as early as next year. Or, a little further on, their first Sundays with a (real) Men’s and Women’s 1. It seems a matter of time before another doubling of the young club is a reality. For soon history will repeat itself. Once again they are getting a little help from the housing market.
‘In Weesp – which is therefore next to Muiden – a new housing estate is being built. Within a few years there will be three thousand houses there. Three guesses what the nearest field hockey club is?’
by Hockey.nl
