Den Helder is a household name in Dutch basketball. The club has celebrated various successes in the past. In the 1990s it won several national titles, the last in 1998. “It was always sold out and you had to buy a ticket two days in advance,” speaker Wop van Eis remembers well. “Those are years that are cherished, but that will never come back.”
Den Helder has been in financial trouble in recent years. The club dangled on the brink of bankruptcy, but that was averted. Last year the club did not receive a license for the BNXT League, but the club successfully appealed against this. Now Den Helder Suns is forced to take a step back. “We have been fighting against that for years,” says Dennis Guldemond, vice-chairman of Den Helder Suns.
High demands
To meet the requirements of the BNXT League, Den Helder had to change a number of things. For example, a special floor had to be laid in Sports Hall Quelderduyn on which only basketball lines can be seen. The club also had to appoint a general manager. “All that added together, it became no longer feasible,” says Guldemond.
