Tom Hiebendaal

European and Dutch Hockey Champion Tom Hiebendaal has been playing for top club Bloemendaal since 2020. Together with teammate and good friend Caspar van Dijk He has become an ambassador for the Amsterdam Youth Fund for Sport & Culture. "Sports are one of the most important activities for a child. Every child has the right to participate in sports, and that's the main reason I'm committed to the Amsterdam Youth Fund for Sport & Culture."

Highlights…

Copyright (c) Koen Suyk

Before I started playing hockey, I played tennis and soccer. Two sports I still cherish. I started playing hockey at HC Klein Zwitserland (KZ) in The Hague. At fifteen, I joined HGC, where I enjoyed nine wonderful years. During that time, I also played for all the Dutch youth teams, winning several awards: Gold at the European U16 Championship, Silver at the European U21 Championship, Bronze at the World U21 Championship, and Gold at the European U21 Championship. I'm very proud of being named Talent of the Year in the premier league twice. It's an award no one has ever won twice.

…and lows

Copyright (c) Koen Suyk

Every top-level sports career unfortunately also has its low points. The low point of my career was a long injury that lasted two and a half years. Because of my injury, I transferred to the Amsterdam Men's 1 team at the age of twenty-three. During that season, I completed my bachelor's degree in Law at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and played for the German champions Uhlenhorst Mülheim for a year. After playing in Germany that year, I returned to the University of Amsterdam for my master's degree in Private Law and became national and European champion with my new club, HC Bloemendaal.

Inspiration

There are plenty of examples of athletes who faced difficult circumstances as children but still achieved Olympic gold. Dream BIG. Like Michael Phelps:

You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream the further you get

Follow Tom on Instagram: @tomhiebendaal

Caspar van Dijk

World, European and Dutch Hockey Champion Caspar van Dijk has been playing for top club Bloemendaal since 2019. Together with teammate and good friend Tom Hiebendaal he has become an ambassador for the Youth Fund Sport & Culture Amsterdam because he believes it is important that every child deserves the same opportunities.  

Sports & development

From a young age, Caspar was always outdoors. He spent entire days playing ball with friends in his neighborhood playground and later at the hockey club. "Exercising together is incredibly important for both your physical and social development. Not every child has the opportunities I once had. I want to give children the chance to develop through sports. That's why I'm passionate about supporting the Youth Sports Fund." & Culture Amsterdam."

Copyright (c) Koen Suyk

Successes

I've been playing hockey since I was seven. Soon, the training hours increased, and hockey became more serious for me. I've won trophies with various clubs and national teams. For example, I won the world championship with the Dutch indoor team, the European championship on the field with the Dutch Juniors, two national championships with my club Bloemendaal, and last year we won the EHL. I hope to inspire children with my experience.

Children should have the opportunity to develop themselves through sports. I want to work hard to make that happen!

Instagram: @casparvandijk