Three football players from The Knickerbockers from Groningen returned from a team outing in Prague with a concussion. Result of a fight. Things went wrong with VV Muntendam in Benidorm. Were trips abroad not for professionals?
With the first team of VV Zuidhorn at a training camp in Torremolinos, southern Spain: Laurens Bloem (41) has fond memories of it. “Don’t think we isolated ourselves in the sun to prepare for a fantastic performance in the second half of the season. No, it was just a great outing that was all about fun, such as a whole afternoon of beach volleyball, in small teams. Priceless.”
He went to Torremolinos with Zuidhorn three times. “Training during the day and getting the most out of it in the evening, that last night we went straight to the airport. I don’t know what the outcome would be of a fitness test before and after the training camp, but anyway, it was mainly about group bonding. And our team also had fun at home 24 hours a day, for example when we celebrated Sinterklaas together or went out for dinner.”
‘We have always behaved well’
Things never went well for Bloem like the team outing of student football club The Knickerbockers from Groningen last week in Prague. There, three members of The Knickerbockers suffered a concussion during a fight. According to trainer Freddy Strating, the boys couldn’t do anything about it. “They were attacked and kicked in the head for no reason,” he said.
The story of The Knickerbockers is reminiscent of VV Muntendam, which went to a training camp in Benidorm with 52 men in January and was evicted from the hotel due to nighttime nuisance. Bloem knows that story: “We have always behaved well, we had also talked about that beforehand. You can all sing football songs loudly on the plane, but no one wants that.”
Kees Bouma (67) from Groningen trained amateur football clubs in Groningen for thirty years. Around the turn of the century he was a trainer at Holwierde. “He had a rich sponsor and then we went to Spain for a training camp. That was very special at the time, but now fourth and fifth graders also go.”
‘Now you can fly for next to nothing’
When he started as a trainer in 1988, he went to a training camp with his teams to Drenthe, Borkum and the Wadden Islands for team spirit. “Now that you can fly for next to nothing and people have more to spend, it has almost become normal to go to a training camp in the sun. It’s more team building than physical improvement.”
Do the math, he says: “25 young men together. You take it for granted that they drink a lot of beer. And you experience very nice things. We met Cruijff at the airport in Barcelona, the luxury of a nice hotel, food on the beach. But less pleasant things also happen. I was once at a camp in Workum with VV Omlandia from Ten Boer and we were thrown out of the tent because someone had opened the fire hose with his head turned on. The owner of the accommodation was furious and evicted us at 7:30 am.”
‘All it takes is one hothead’
According to him, the fact that things went wrong with the students of The Knickerbockers in Prague must have been the result of an argument. “25 young men full of beer and testosterone: before you know it someone has pushed you or they have a crush on the same woman. Most are sensible, but it only takes one hothead.”
Jos Langeland (40) from Coevorden works at Trainingskampen.nl, which arranges team outings for footballers and hockey players to 21 destinations abroad, from Marrakech to Barcelona. According to him, it has been very common for amateur teams to go to a sunny country during the winter break for about 15 years. “It just keeps growing. Last winter we arranged it for 273 teams. Fourth and fifth graders such as Bareveld, Protos, Eext and Heiligerlee are also going abroad.”
According to him, prices are between 450 and 550 euros per person, with peaks of 700 euros. “Teams are committed to it. At one association the sponsor pays a lot, at the other everyone has to pay for themselves.”
‘Flight shame hardly plays a role’
Despite the price increases for flights and accommodation, a trip abroad is popular, says Langeland. “The difference in price with a training camp in your own country is not that big. You’re away for a nice weekend in the sun. And it is good for team building.”
According to him, shame about flying hardly plays a role. “If you go to Barcelona by bus, it will take you two days. To compensate for the flying, we do something with trees in Denmark.”
Laurens Bloem also says that he does not take the climate much into account when it comes to flying. Former coach Bouma: “I don’t believe that shame about flying plays a role in the often young men, who have usually not flown much.”
KNVB spokesperson Bram Groot says that the association is not concerned with what football clubs do during periods without competition. “Climate is on our agenda, but this is mainly about helping clubs with a climate-neutral design of their clubhouse.”
What exactly happened to The Knickerbockers in Prague remains shrouded in mystery. The club does not want to say anything about it, only that the players who suffered a concussion ‘did nothing’. The Muntendam football players, who were evicted from their hotel in January due to noise in the corridor, will go to training camp again next winter break.