The Netherlands:

He stopped top hockey three years ago. Finished with his old club helmond, had a great adventure in Italy. Life after field hockey had actually already begun. Until Bob de Voogd fell into the arms of another old love. The nearly 37-year-old former international is back at Oranje-Rood. “My shirt is framed in the clubhouse.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t give interviews anymore. Nobody believes what I say anymore. ‘

Was signed: Bob de Voogd. With a very big wink. And also with surprise. Because of course he never expected things to prove this way. After all, he was like a fish in the water near Helmond, where he stood on the field Tears of field hockey lucky. It seemed the perfect end to the 2012 Silver Olympian. At HC BH in Italy – on the second level, by the way – his career still got one Grabbing In the Piedmont fairy tale. To end a rich career with his family among the vineyards, sounded like a wonderful ending.

But it turned out to be different. Because he couldn’t leave it. Another chapter. An unexpected new season. Netflix would kill for a story with so many plot twists. He talks about it with the greatest pleasure on the field in Breda. There on Sunday the guardian played with Oranje-Rood during the ABN Amro Hockey weekend against Den Bosch and Braxgata. Coincidentally, two old clubs of the Helmonder. He shed as usual between midfield and ahead. He eagerly showed that he can still squeeze his turbo sprints. Take the floor in the circle for a moment when he had comments about pressure. Shake hands quickly with an acquaintance in the crowd just before the switch.

“It feels very good. But I had to get used to it, in the first five minutes to Den Bosch, “says De Voogd, in his weeks wet shirt with Jersey number 19.” Indeed, that is the same as before. However, it is a new shirt. It also has some other sponsors. I have it today. Laugh: ‘There is also a framed in the clubhouse. I said: if we don’t get the new shirt on time, we will take it off the wall.

Helmond Heren 2 or still Italy?

He goes back in time a few months. The De Voogd family had just returned from Italy. The reality was waiting for the young family. Goodbye adventure, hello real world. Life had to be picked up again. And of course the subject of Veldhockey came again. “Of course I wanted to play somewhere again.” Laughing for themselves: “Yes, you are a fan, or not. I played a few games with my friends at Helmond Men’s 2 last year. But I wanted that a whole year? I hesitated. I still had contact with bra. Maybe I would go up and down a few times, only for the cup. A few weekends, or something. Maybe that didn’t.

In the midst of that period of doubt, he was back on the field. In Belgium, where he stopped playing top hockey with Braxgata in 2019, his extraordinary career took a turn. ‘I participated in an Allstar competition in June, in honor of saying goodbye to some Belgian internationals. I had just returned from Italy and was pretty fit. Then I received several e -mails. What was the deal with me? Had I stopped? Or was I still open to something? I didn’t know myself yet. But it made me think.

Photo: Ewout Pahud

From nice participation to a contract

So his curiosity was aroused. And so the guardian took the jump. He approached his old teammate Thijs Bams, recently assistant coach at Oranje-Rood. “Can I still do it? At the highest level? I wanted to test myself and train with him. Or still missed boys who returned from the European championships. So there was room. I received the program for the first two weeks. Nothing anymore. Just participate. That was the intention.

The guardian passed his own top hockey exam. He noticed that he could still keep track of it. That was also the opinion of the club, which offered him a one -year contract. But it was not just about playing field hockey. It was also about the total photo. I have three young children between the ages of five, three and one and a half. I can’t leave things to their own devices for five days. If I really get there in a jam, we can repair it. I canceled my job in June and have been going on some conversations. How that will continue is still unclear. That is why we are going to try it now, because everyone has a good feeling about it. But we also said: if the first three months are usually nonsense, Veldhockey is the first to end from my schedule. ‘

That is of course absolutely not the plan. De Voogd indeed also works at the Works Council. ‘The idea is that I will visit companies in the Eindhoven region to tell our story. To help with sponsorship, with presentations. Like a showcase for the club. I really enjoy doing that. It makes this whole story even more beautiful and complete. Of course his phone sounded from the hook when the news from his return came out on Wednesday. “Some were even a bit excess. They had overestimated my role. I really like the way things go. But it’s all about the internationals now. They determine how it goes. I support where I can. Both on and outside the field. With a story from the old box for example. ‘

It has become too comfortable to go to Eindhoven. They must hate playing us again. And have the idea that there is nothing to be gained here Bob de Voogd

The guardian with his new coach Ageeth Boomgaardt. Photo: Ewout Pahud

What talked about. De Voogd experienced Golden Times in Oranje Zwart, one of the merged clubs that came from or appeared. A decade ago he became a triple national champion and won the EHL. He knows the facts. Or has been around for ten years. In the last nine seasons we have made the Play -offs twice. That’s too little. Far too little. Especially if you compare it to that period. I am not saying that we have to do it the way we did before. But we have to compete structurally again to prices. I want to contribute to that.

“I said jokes recently: ten years ago, none of the top clubs felt like playing against Oranje Zwart. Really not. They hated our field, our changing rooms. It was a long drive and you often left with few points. As a result, we were instinctively ahead of 3-0 before we started. ‘

He talks faster. With fire and sparkling eyes. “Now there is a fast pitch. A nice stand. It is almost fun for opponents. It has become too comfortable to go to Eindhoven. They must be Balking again that they have to play against us. And have the idea that there is nothing to be gained here. ‘

He stops for a moment. “I can really give that about that. I think that’s great. ‘