Field hockey in Amersfoort

AMHC: a field hockey club with a unique story

Sportpark Birkhoven is a place where nostalgia meets modernity. The club, founded in 1912, has a rich history that is reflected in every nook and cranny of the grounds. Take for example the authentic ticket booths that now serve as storage rooms, but used to be the entrance to the soccer games played here. In fact, between 1954 and 1982, HVC played professional soccer at the sports park!

In 2011, the club got a new clubhouse, but in a unique location: the spot where the main stand of the soccer club used to be. The grandstand was converted into a cozy clubhouse where you can enjoy drinks at the red bar. From the clubhouse you have a beautiful view over the six field hockey fields.

Keitje as a mascot

Also special is the huge boulder you encounter on the path from the parking lot to the clubhouse. It is a nod to Amersfoort's nickname: the Keistad. The boulder, named "Hoc-kei," was given as a gift by a group of members when the club celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1987.

Since the 100th anniversary there is a new mascot: Keitje. You can see him on the windows of the clubhouse and it is impossible to imagine the club without him. Thus, field hockey club Amersfoort is a place where old and new, nostalgia and progress, come together. A club with a story, for young and old.

One club, two locations: the special story of HC Eemvallei

Imagine being a member of a field hockey club, but playing your games at two different locations. That is the reality for the members of HC Eemvallei in Amersfoort. With about 1,200 members and a main venue that quickly filled up, the club had to get creative.

So in 2013, a second location was opened, two kilometers away from the first. Since then, players, trainers and volunteers regularly commute between the two. Goalkeeper bags, coffee spoons and even the sound system are dragged back and forth. And the found objects? Those, of course, also go from one location to the other.

Despite the challenges, Eemvallei manages to pull it off nicely all together. The champion's pictures hang proudly in both clubhouses and everyone knows exactly how long that two kilometer stretch takes: fifteen minutes of cycling.

It may not be ideal, but it makes Eemvallei a unique club with a close-knit community feel. And secretly, of course, they hope that in a few years they will finally get that one, big location. Until then, they'll just keep biking up and down!