Field Hockey in Netherlands
Netherlands field hockey players are upwards of a quarter million making it one of the most popular sports in the country. Hockey is played by men, women, boys and girls at all skill levels. Oversight for the sport falls to the KNHB (Royal Dutch Hockey Association).
FIELD HOCKEY BASICS
The Dutch field hockey ‘season’ is comprised of two playing windows: September-December and March-June. The game itself is played on a grass or artificial turf field that is 91.4 meters long and 55 meters wide (ages 10 years+). A match is 70 minutes with two 35-minute periods. A team has 11 players (10 in the field and 1 goal keeper). Field players are further classified as forwards, mid-fielders and defenders. A team is allowed a maximum of five substitutes. Unlike in football (soccer), players can be substituted in and out multiple times in a match. The starting stroke is taken at the center line. Two referees officiate the match.
Players younger than 10 years play hockey on a smaller field with fewer players and shorter matches.
When one of the teams has scored a goal, the other team starts again from the center line. To score a goal, a player must hit the ball into the opponent’s goal box from within the goal circle. A ball struck from outside the circle does not count and possession of the ball transfers to the other team.
Boundaries are indicated with a white line approximately 7.5 cm wide. The long lines along the length of the field are the side lines while those at the short ends are the back lines. The part of the back line that runs between the goal posts is called the goal line. Two circles, two 23-meter lines and a center line are arranged on the field. A 15-cm white circle is located 6.4 meters from the goal on both ends which is where a penalty shot is taken.
DUTCH FIELD HOCKEY CLUB MEMBERSHIP
When you become a member of a Dutch field hockey club, the following age categories and type of play apply:
| DIVISION | AGES | HOCKEY TYPE |
| Funkey | 4-5 years | play activities |
| F-Youth | 6-7 years | 3×3 |
| E-Youth | 8-9 years | 6×6 and 8×8 |
| D-Youth | 10-11 years | Team Hockey |
| C-Youth | 12-13 years | Team Hockey |
| B-Youth | 14-15 years | Team Hockey |
| A-Youth | 16-17 years | Team Hockey |
| Seniors | 18+ years | Team Hockey |
| Veterans-L Veterans-M | 30+ years 35+ years | Team Hockey |
There is no maximum age at which a player can no longer compete as a Senior. However most older players eventually choose to play on Veterans teams.
Players within the categories are classified either as performance or recreational level.
In the Netherlands, Youth competition matches take place on Saturday, with younger children (groups D-E-F) playing in the morning and older children (groups A-B-C) playing in the afternoon. Seniors and Veterans play matches on Sundays.
NETHERLANDS FIELD HOCKEY ASSOCATION
The national Dutch hockey federation, KNHB, was founded in 1898. The organization establishes and maintains official playing rules for hockey in Netherlands, sanctions tournaments, provides player and referee training, selects players to compete on the national teams and promotes growth of the sport through marketing, education, lobbying and partnerships.
In addition to standard outdoor field hockey (‘veldhockey‘), the KNHB oversees other versions including indoor hockey (‘zaalhockey‘), urban hockey and beach hockey.
NETHERLANDS FIELD HOCKEY CLUBS & DISTRICTS
There are over 300 Dutch hockey clubs which are broken down into 6 regional districts:
- North Holland (Noord-Holland)
- South Holland (Zuid-Holland)
- East Netherlands (Overijssel, Gelderland)
- Central Netherlands (Utrecht, Flevoland, ‘t Gooi region)
- North Netherlands (Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe)
- South Netherlands (Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Zeeland)
Club teams take part in district competitions at the junior and senior levels. Teams with the best season records in their district compete in playoffs against top teams from the other districts.
At the end of the season, playoffs and championships are held in 12 categories.
NATIONAL HOCKEY COMPETITIONS
The KNHB organizes the annual Gold Cup and Silver Cup hockey tournaments.
DUTCH TOP TIER HOCKEY LEAGUES
12 top men’s and women’s Netherlands field hockey teams compete in their respective ‘Hoofdklasse‘ (Head Class) league. During a season a team plays each of the other teams twice with the top four teams at the end competing in playoffs.
Teams in the Men’s Hoofdklasse league for the 2023-2024 season are: AH&BC (Amsterdam), Bloemendaal, Den Bosch, HDM (The Hague), HGC (Wassenaar), Kampong (Utrecht), Klein Zwitserland (The Hague), Laren, Oranje-Rood (Eindhoven), Pinoké (Amstelveen), Rotterdam and Schaerweijde (Zeist). The defending champions are Pinoké (who won the title for the first time in the club’s history for the 2022-2023 season).
Teams in the Ladies Hoofdklasse league for the 2023-2024 season are: AH&BC (Amsterdam), Bloemendaal, Den Bosch, HDM (The Hague), HGC (Wassenaar), Hurley (Amsterdam), Kampong (Utrecht), Oranje-Rood (Eindhoven), Pinoké (Amstelveen), Rotterdam, SCHC (Bilthoven) and Tilburg. The women’s title for 2022-2023 was won by Amsterdam.
The second tier field hockey league is referred to as the ‘Promotieklasse‘ (Promotion Class) and like the Hoofdklasse league, consists of 12 teams. The league is so named because the top team at the end of the season automatically gets promoted to the Hoofdklasse league for the following season, replacing the 12th place team from the Hoofdklasse which is relegated down to the Promotieklasse league for the following season.
Additionally, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams from the Promotieklasse also have the potential to be promoted to the Hoofdklasse based on season-ending relegation matches against the 10th and 11th place Hoofdklasse teams. The winners of the relegation matches play in the Hoofdklasse the following season while the losers play in the Promotieklasse.
EURO HOCKEY LEAGUE
The Euro Hockey League (EHL) started with the 2007/2008 season and replaced the former European Cup. The goal of the EHL is to elevate the visibility of local field hockey clubs to the international stage (similar to football). There are men’s and ladies EHL divisions.
HC Bloemendaal has been the most successful men’s team in the league’s 16-year history with a record 6 titles. Four other Dutch clubs have won the Euro Hockey League once: HGC (Wassenaar), MHC Oranje Zwart (Eindhoven), SV Kampong (Utrecht) and Pinoké (Amsterdam).
The EHL ladies league was started in 2021. The first four editions have been won by two Dutch teams: HC Den Bosch (2021/2023), AH&BC Amsterdam (2022/2024).
NATIONAL HOCKEY TRAINING CENTER
The KNHB owns Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam. This is where the Netherlands’ national hockey teams training and international competition matches take place.
NETHERLANDS FIELD HOCKEY NATIONAL TEAMS
The ‘Orange’ men’s and ladies national hockey teams represent the Netherlands at international competitions, such as the Olympics, FIH Pro-League and World Cup Championships:
- Dutch National Ladies Hockey Team – The team is ranked #1 in the world by the International Hockey Federation and holds the record for most World Cup titles (9), most European Championships (12), most Olympic medals (9), including a record 4 gold medals. They also won the FIH Pro League Championships in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
- Dutch National Men’s Hockey Team – The team is ranked #1 in the world by the International Hockey Federation. They have won the World Cup 3 times, European Championships 6 times and back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000. They also won the FIH Pro League Championships in 2022 and 2023.
In addition, there are national youth hockey teams:
News, scores and updates about the Dutch national hockey teams can be found on the Hockey.nl website.
NETHERLANDS FIELD HOCKEY FOR EXPATS
Expat field hockey players can continue playing the sport while living in the Netherlands. Some of the Dutch clubs which have international members and activities for expats or foreign students include:
NETHERLANDS FIELD HOCKEY EQUIPMENT
The largest field hockey webshop in Netherlands is HockeyDirect.nl. There you can find a wide range of hockey sticks, balls, shoes, clothing, bags and related accessories. They carry all popular hockey brands including Brabo, Grays, Indian Maharadja, Osaka, Reece, Ritual and TK.
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