FIRST TEAM
03/07/2012

Hoffenheim, Hockey and Holland

TSG Hoffenheim welcomed a famous face to the club yesterday. Matthias Witthaus is one of Germany's most decorated hockey players, winning both the World and European Championships on numerous occasions. Also present was Bernhard Peters. He is the current director of the 1899 academy, but was also employed as a coach by the German Hockey Federation (DHL) for twenty years. In a revival of our ‘Sportsmen meet Sportsmen' initiative, they took our two Dutch stars Edson Braafheid and Ryan Babel on a trip down memory lane.

Holland's most wanted

Hockey is growing all the time in Germany. But in Holland, it is the most popular sport, even ahead of football. Edson and Ryan, who hail from Amsterdam, both attest to that fact. “Hockey is big in the Netherlands, but I chose football. I was always better at football”, says the former. Ryan was candid about his relationship with the game: “I was more interested in the girls on the hockey team, rather than sport in general”, he grins.

Germany vs. Holland

Holland and Germany have a massive sporting rivalry, and with hockey it's no different. Germany actually defeated Holland in the final of the European Championships in Mönchengladbach in 2011, but both nations consistently rank among the top sides in the world. Today's game was an altogether more laid back affair, however. After a few pointers and basic tips, Edson and Ryan got into the swing of things very quickly. Witthaus was impressed with the ease with which both men reacclimatized to the sport they played as youngsters. “You can tell that they've played the game before and that they have a feel for it.”

In spite of a fun afternoon, the guys weren't thinking too seriously about a career change. “It's starting to give me a backache”, remarked Ryan, while Edson agreed: “I think we'll stick to playing with a bigger ball!”

Download Now!
Print Page to top