FIH DEVELOPMENT OFFICER MR. JORGE QUEREJETA VISITS CURACAO

Recently the FIH Continental Development Officer (CDO) for the Americas, Mr. Jorge Querejeta, visited Curaçao to get himself acquainted with the field hockey development on the Antilles. According to the NAHA it is the first ever visit of a representative of the FIH / PAHF to the Netherlands Antilles.

On his first day Mr. Jorge Querejeta was present at the start of our BDO school hockey project, which first lessons were given at the Albert Schweitzer School on Curaçao. He witnessed the progress of the class, while trainer Mr. Jochem Smid introduced the school kids to the basic movements of the sport. Later that afternoon Mr. Jorge Querejeta visited the artificial pitch at Blue Bay Resort to be present at the training lessons of some of the youth teams.

During several meetings with Mr. Henk Pepping, NAHA Technical Director, and Mr. Robert Paul van Bilderbeek, NAHA President, Mr. Jorge Querejeta raised and discussed several ideas for the further development of the sport on the Antilles, in particular on Curaçao. Those meetings gave the NAHA an opportunity to explain some of their activities in the past and present. Based on his vast experience as a CDO Mr. Jorge Querejeta gave some valuable suggestions for future activities and actions of the NAHA. 

NAHA has been delighted with the visit of Mr. Jorge Querejeta. She expects, that one outcome of this visit will be an increase of communication with other members of the PAHF family. She is looking forward to interact with her PAHF brothers and sisters, especially with the exchange visits of youth teams.

PICTURE:  MR. HENK PEPPING (LEFT) WITH MR. JORGE QUEREJETA (RIGHT) AT THE ALBERT SCHWEITZER SCHOOL.

Annemonike Mustert advisor to NaHa Board

The Board of the Netherlands Antilles Hockey Association (NAHA) is very pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Annemonike Mustert as their advisor in the Netherlands. Besides her professional skills in information/project management, Ms Mustert has an allround field hockey record and is well introduced in both Dutch and international hockey circles. Her knowledge of the game is further enhanced through her skills and observations as a freelance photographer at “ Hoofdklasse and international matches”.

Ms Mustert was born in Willemstad, Curaçao, where she learnt to play hockey and therefore has a strong connection with “the largest island” of the Netherlands Antilles. In the last year she has regularly expressed her strong interest in assisting the board of the NAHA with her vast knowledge of the (international) field hockey market. The cooperation should benefit the development of both hockey in general as well as the NAHA to become a more professional organization. Her first task as advisor to the board is to assist the board in obtaining funding and products for the new accommodation the NAHA will require next year. She also will advise the board on the development of the NAHA’s youth program and will act as an intermediary between the Netherlands and the Antilles.

Youth teams visit Trinidad

As the much-quoted ‘cherry on the cake’ for the closure of a successful hockey season 2007- 2008 a boys and a girls team in age of 16-18 years have visited Trinidad by the end of June 2008.
Every year a boys and a mixed youth team participate in the NAHA competition. Especially the boys team has shown a tremendous growth in strength and playing-capability in the past season, partly due to a superb playing keeper, Thomas Iserief. Their growth can be contributed to more training and better support and supervision. The youth delegation was welcomed in Trinidad by (among others) Mr. Kwandane Brown, a well-known senior player from Trinidad & Tobago. The delegation was lead by the coaches “Koot” Oscar Prins and “Koot” Bart Christiaans, assisted by trainer Rogier van der Meer during the preparations of the trip.

Both teams have played a number of indoor and outdoor matches, most of them being won by the teams of the Netherlands Antilles. Especially the last match for each team was the highlight of the week-long trip: against the best youth teams of Trinidad. The girls were able to keep the home team to a goalless draw, the boys took the honors back to the Netherlands Antilles with a 2-1 win over the opponents. Our hosts were equally enthusiastic about the visit, as on departure they mentioned the possibility of a counter-visit to Curaçao in the near-future.

NAHA sees the exchange of youth teams as a fantastic vehicle to promote the field hockey sport on the Netherlands Antilles and in other countries. In the past few years youth teams from Aruba are already visiting Curaçao. No doubt that regular readers of the NAHA website will get information about the future international plans and other developments of the Antillean youth field hockey teams. NAHA wishes the coaches (the gents Thomas Pothof, Bart Christiaans, Alain Voigt) success with the development of this enthusiastic group of youth players.
 

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