Since the start of his career as a physiotherapist, Rob den Dikken (62) has ensured that the players of TOP Oss become fit again after an injury. He has been a member of the club’s medical team since the start of professional football in 1991. But the Ossenaar was thrown out shortly after the start of the new season. “I think it’s special that club people are treated this way,” says Rob.
Rob has been associated with the club in Oss for 55 years. He played at TOP until he was 26, when it was still an amateur club. In 1988 he became a caretaker and physio with the first team to play at the highest amateur level. “After an injury I had to stop playing football. This way I remained involved with the club,” says Rob.
When TOP Oss switched to professional football in 1991, he became part of the medical team. The physiotherapist made it a sport to help players get rid of their injuries as best and as quickly as possible.
“That’s what you always want as a physiotherapist. But in professional football the workload is much higher. A trainer wants to have as many players as possible available to him for every match,” says the Ossenaar. “The pressure you have gives you an adrenaline rush. Especially if you get players fit on time.”
Despite his passion for the work at TOP, Rob also had his own physio practice in Oss until last year. “I once started studying physiotherapy with the idea of working in sports. But I didn’t want to be dependent on football. Even though I have very good contacts at the club, I always had in the back of my mind that there could come a time when the club would no longer want to continue with me,” he says.
Rob did not expect that moment to come at the beginning of this season. “After two weeks of preparation, I received a call from the technical director that I no longer had to come immediately. Of course that surprised me.”
The technical director of TOP Oss says: “It doesn’t matter whether someone has worked at a club for 2 or 20 years. If something stops working, it doesn’t work. You cannot pursue policy based on sentiment.” Rob agrees with the latter. “But how can you decide after two weeks into the new season that there is insufficient support for my presence. While nothing has happened in the meantime,” says the physio.
According to the technical director, this is due to the arrival of a new trainer and technical staff just before the start of the season. “Because of their arrival, we have been able to implement a few changes more quickly to become more professional. During the preparation it turned out that certain things that we wanted to be different did not work out with Rob.”
Rob is disappointed that he has been put aside like this. “For me it is not about the message, but about the way it is delivered. You are told: ‘this is how football works’. But also in the football world you can have a polite conversation with someone about his departure.”
Rob has lost his job at TOP, but not his love for the club. “I don’t want to get stuck in resentment. Why would I stay home on a Friday evening when I see the stadium light poles on? I will remain a supporter of TOP Oss.”