Netherlands: Rotterdam gold rush Boeren: ‘We are now free in our heads’

With a resounding blow Menno Boeren provided the decision in the delightful topper between his Rotterdam and Bloemendaal. Four minutes before the end the midfielder smashed the 4-3 into the ropes. A liberating goal that followed a difficult first half of the season, in which Boeren and Rotterdam faced a lot of headwinds.

It was joyous chaos, Saturday around the clock of eight on Rotterdam’s main pitch. With a big smile and enthusiastic gestures, Spaniard Marc Recasens explained to his fans – including his flown-in father – how he gave a beautiful backhand assist for the 3-1. A little further on, Joaquin Menini and Guus Jansen handed out autographs to the Rotterdam youth. Pepijn van der Heijden was still thinking aloud about his beautiful opening goal, his first field goal in the big league. ‘I didn’t know I could do this myself,’ the international said overjoyed.

And of course Boeren stood there. The child of the club who was the goldcrest of this beautiful Saturday. He smiled his teeth out at every interview he had to give. It was his day. ‘I almost never normally score,’ Boeren said. ‘By chance last week when we won 10-0. But today was different, of course.’ A laugh of disbelief: ‘I don’t get to the circle very often either.’

Justen Blok’s complaints about Boeren’s forehand

And yes, Boeren too had enjoyed that insane game of field hockey, with a fantastic first and last quarter. Spectators – and fortunately there were many in Rotterdam on Saturday – were in short supply during those phases to witness all the beauty. Six minutes before time, there seemed little to worry the home team, who went into the closing stages with a 3-1 lead. Until Bloemendaal started pounding the Rotterdam gate really hard and came back to 3-3 within a minute.

‘I, too, thought we would win it after our 3-1,’ Boeren breathed. ‘If you want to be national champion, this can’t happen to you. And we suddenly had a brake on it. We played too much not to make mistakes. We have to learn from that.’

Due to all the congratulations and interviews, he hadn’t had time to watch his goal again. So Boeren was only too happy to take some time for that. ‘How well Steijn (van Heijningen) takes it here,’ Boeren admires. ‘Nice how at speed he still keeps the overview.’ He looks wide-eyed at the footage, which is less than half an hour old. A clip he will probably watch countless times. ‘I have space and get it nicely. And then with the forehand into the short corner. I get goose bumps when I see it like this.’ Laughing: ‘I often get told by Justen Blok that I don’t have a strong forehand. The last few weeks I have been working on that more. He also came to me directly after the match. I thought that was nice.’

Talks in the winter break

So it was a night when Rotterdam showed the field hockey world once again that it can play fantastic field hockey. ‘We did it on intuition. Playing with conviction. We are now free in our heads.’ Those last words flawlessly describe Rotterdam’s difference in the first half of the season and how the team is performing after the winter.

Rotterdam regularly lost points before the winter break. Far too many actually for a title contender. In the first eleven games they drew six times and lost one game. Consequence: Rotterdam is condemned to a race to catch up and is still in fifth place despite four wins in 2025.

‘It was difficult,’ Boeren also states. ‘We had to get used to each other again. Had new players and a new coach.’ That coach – Erik van Driel – mainly wanted to build in more certainties, so Rotterdam would be less vulnerable defensively. Consequence: the team sometimes forgot to do what they are so good at. Attacking hard and at full speed. In the meantime we have found the match. With Erik there, but also as a group with each other. That ensures that we do win a top game like today, and also from Kampong and Oranje-Rood.’

Pepijn van der Heijden puts Rotterdam ahead against Bloemendaal. Photo: Bart Scheulderman

The sequel in Orange

Not only for Rotterdam was the first half of the season tough at times. Boeren himself also had to swallow a bitter pill. He played until the end of 2023 in the Dutch Junior Team, where he was captain. In the summer of 2022, he and several other talents got a taste of the big Dutch team. But the continuation in Orange is still to come. Boeren did not yet take that next dream step, which teammates like Pepijn van der Heijden and Olivier Hortensius did, when many new talents came through in September.

‘I was disappointed that I wasn’t in the training group then,’ the midfielder says honestly. ‘I was hoping to be included, although I also know there is a lot of competition at my position. But then again, when your friends go, you naturally want to be there yourself. That was a bit painful. I hope I get the chance someday.

Then the smile returns. ‘Maybe it will help, a goaltending once in a while.’