Field hockey craze in Amsterdam

The craze of Field Hockey in Amsterdam
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Saturday at 7 am, it's still dark in the 'Rivierenbuurt' neighbourhood in the South of Amsterdam. Valentina, who has just turned 9, energetically gets up and puts on her hockey outfit: a red jersey, a dark blue skort, and high blue socks adorned with her club's logo. To get to the hockey club, she takes a road along the Amstel River, which is almost deserted at this early weekend hour. Some motivated joggers run by, and other young girls in hockey gear ride their bikes towards their respective matches.

The AMVJ hockey club is located on the border between Amsterdam and Amstelveen. Valentina joins the other members of her team: Fréderique, Mikaela, Lena, Lior, Saar, and Olivia, proudly sporting their hockey jackets with their names printed on them. Fenna and Carmen, the two 14-year-old volunteer coaches, lead the warm-up, and then the players take their positions for the match. "It's great to be on the hockey field because here, you can do everything you can't do at home: run around and throw the ball in all directions," Valentina comments with a smile.

For the past two years, the girls have been training on Mondays and Wednesdays and playing their matches on Saturdays against other clubs from Amsterdam or those from other cities located in the province of North Holland. They are always full of motivation, as Saar explains: "I think hockey is a great sport; I love running, and I feel free on the field. It's exciting to have something to aim for, a goal. Even though it's sometimes tough, especially when it's cold outside, the atmosphere is always nice because we play among children!"

Field hockey is one of the most popular sports in the Netherlands. It holds a significant place in Dutch society with a rich history and impressive international successes. Currently, 323 clubs and around 255,000 members are registered with the Royal Dutch Hockey Association (Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond). The enthusiasm of young girls for the sport is correlated with the impressive success of the Dutch women's team, which has been at the top of the world rankings for twenty years now. This documentary reports on the adventures over a year of an under-8 girls' team from the AMVJ field hockey club in Amsterdam.

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