If something sounds too good to be true, it often is. But at Hockey Club Nuenen, which plays at the fifth level, they recently learned that this maxim is not always correct. Multiple international Rizwan Ali from Pakistan responded to the call from coach Danny Nooijen. “He turned out to be serious.”
It is at the end of June when Nooijen sees several players from his first team leave. New recruits are needed and under the guise of ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ he puts out a call to social media. The message: do you want to come and strengthen ‘the first’, then report to me now.
“We exchanged phone numbers.”
Many talents are signing up, including someone who simultaneously sends his resume and download links to hockey video material. Sender: Rizwan Ali from Pakistan. The name will mean nothing to many laymen, but anyone who googles his name will immediately read that he has played for the national team of Pakistan several times. In fact, in October 2019 he scored with a drag push against the Dutch national team during an Olympic qualifier.
“We exchanged telephone numbers and it turned out to be serious,” Nooijen says dryly on Sunday at the radio program De Zuidtribune of Omroep Brabant. “We immediately started looking at what needs to be arranged.”
Waiting for privacy settings…
That was quite a situation, Nooijen looks back. “For weeks I hung on the phone with embassies to arrange a sports visa.” This was followed by a logistical tour, although shelter was soon no longer a problem. “That’s the great thing about our association: there is a lot of solidarity. So soon a host family came forward and wanted to take him in voluntarily. So he is certainly not alone after such a big transfer from Pakistan to the Netherlands. “
Months of administrative and practical red tape are behind us. And so it’s time to get the ball rolling. Time to see Ali shine on the Dutch amateur hockey fields.
“Ali sees it as a privilege to play in the Netherlands.”
An international at this level. Nooijen also realizes that this is unique. “You can see from the small things that Ali is a very good hockey player. He sees it as a privilege to play in the Netherlands and hopefully eventually make the step to the top.” Opposite Hockey.nl Ali confirms that. “The level here is indeed too low for me. But I see it as a step. Who knows, maybe in a year I can make a step to Oranje-Rood, Den Bosch or Tilburg. Bigger clubs in a better competition.”
Whether Ali can make that dream come true, is of course the question. Last week he was still on the bench, but this Sunday he will start in the base against Drunen. Nooijen: “He is really looking forward to it. And so are we.”