In the “Salary Gap” series, we dive into the world of (un)equal salaries in men’s and women’s field hockey. In this episode: Bloemendaal dreams of the men’s national title every season, but the women have to settle for a spot in the Promotion Class this season. ‘Equality between men and women is our absolute priority.’
Bloemendaal’s men have the same allure in field hockey as Real Madrid has in soccer. Again this year, they are among the top favorites for the national title. The Bloemendaal women have not played at the highest level since this season. They are currently the number thirteen team in the Netherlands, leading the Promotion Class.
If clubs like Amsterdam and Den Bosch manage to allocate their budgets so that both their men and women compete for the national title, why shouldn’t Bloemendaal be able to do so? Bloemendaal is often accused of investing in men’s field hockey but not in women’s field hockey.
Top hockey coach Michiel Hilders with Bloemendaal talent Teun Hooghout. Photo: Koen Suyk
On average, players’ salaries rose from several hundred to several thousand euros per year
Former goalkeeper Michiel Hilders joined the Bloemendaal board as commissioner of top field hockey and sponsorship two seasons ago, shortly after Maria Verschoor and Josine Koning had publicly spoken out about the disparity in salaries in men’s and women’s field hockey. One of the first things he did was invite Verschoor for a cup of coffee. ‘I had several conversations with her, because I wanted to understand this issue well.’
Under his wing, Bloemendaal decided to change course. The women’s salary house went up a notch. Two seasons ago, the club still had international players like Argentina’s Maria Granatto, New Zealand’s Tyler Lench and Germany’s Sonja Zimmermann, who, according to Hilders, received comparable salaries to their male colleagues. The following year, the women had only Dutch players. As a result, the available budget was divided more evenly among the selection. This resulted in an average salary increase for the players from a few hundred to a few thousand euros per year.
Hilders: ‘For players from abroad, including airfare and accommodation, we paid an amount comparable to the salary of a male national team player. We chose to make that more sustainable. Why would we invest such a high amount in a foreigner who often leaves after just one season, while we also have players who have been in the first team for four or five years? That is at odds with sustainable policy.’
Spanish field hockey legend Santi Freixa is assistant to André Morees at Ladies 1. Photo: Thijme Huurman
We pay all our 20 players, which no club in the Promotion League does. Michiel Hilders, Bloemendaal’s top hockey board member
The women were relegated to the Promotion Class last season. The club decided not to turn off the money, but to invest more in the Women’s 1, driven by the ambition to return quickly and long-term to the highest level. Bloemendaal, like other clubs, is reluctant to disclose figures, but states that the current budget is certainly not inferior to teams in the bottom half of the Tulip big league.
‘We pay all our twenty players, which no club in the Promotion League does. The technical staff, which consists of André Morees and Santi Freixa, is top level. Moreover, the facilities for the women are of course equal to those of the men,’ Hilders says.
‘On the field, we have completely equalized the programs. For example, our ladies also train with heart rate monitors, under the guidance of an exercise physiologist. Specialist trainers are available for both the penaltycorners and goalkeepers. We also offer our ladies and men exactly the same facilities off the field: a free subscription to the gym, the possibility to rent affordable housing in Amsterdam through the club, cars for transportation to training sessions and matches, and meals made available. In addition, both teams have exactly the same budget for team trips and expenses during preparation.’
The contracts of Dutch national team internationals and youth players who advance to the first team have also been equalized. Hilders: ‘We now have a uniform salary structure. That means that players and players within a certain category and under similar circumstances receive similar salaries.
International Jorrit Croon is the figurehead of the Bloemendaal men’s team. Photo: Koen Suyk
The difference with the men remains big
Of course, most of the money still goes to the men. Marc Lammers recently said that at Den Bosch the ratio between the men’s and women’s budget is 58/42. Bloemendaal does not disclose the percentages. But the fact is that the differences are greater than at Den Bosch. Hilders: “But given the current position and selection composition of both our men’s and women’s teams, that difference is explainable today.
Terminating the contract of a male international and then investing the freed-up money in the women’s team is not what Bloemendaal is going to do to fill the gap. The history and reputation of Men’s 1 weigh too heavily for that. With 22 national titles and six EHL titles, Bloemendaal is the most successful club in men’s field hockey.
Hilders: ‘But we do everything we can to reduce the budget differences. People often talk about dividing the pie differently, but we are trying to increase the pie by working very hard. Only that takes time.
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by Hockey.nl
