History of HCY

2004: How it started: from idea to implementation

HC Ypenburg emerged from a unique collaboration and vision. The idea arose as a reward for the realization of an additional artificial grass field at HDM. In 2004, the then chairman of HDM, Edwin van der Heide, concluded an agreement with the municipality of The Hague about a subsidy for a fourth artificial grass field. As a condition, the municipality asked HDM to help establish a new hockey club in Ypenburg, de Bras.

Rob Meijer and Bob Leinweber, both active HDM members, took the lead in the project. Rob became the first chairman of the new club. It soon became clear that the hockey club had to anchor its roots deep in the Ypenburg community, with a focus on the district itself, and that the role of HDM would remain modest.

Remco Snoeck from the neighbourhood joined to further complete the board, with the conviction that HC Ypenburg had to be a club of and for the neighbourhood. Thanks to the support of the KNHB, the municipality of The Hague and a large group of volunteers, the foundation was laid for the club.

HC Ypenburg was founded on March 31, 2005: What started with the blue vertical stripes of HDM, was soon transformed into the characteristic orange and blue stripes of HC Ypenburg, a club that proudly wears its identity and connection with the neighborhood.

2004: References to Ypenburg airport

The recent past of Ypenburg lives on in our association. In our clubhouse you can find several references to the former airport in Ypenburg. But it is also in our logo, the blue/orange colours of our outfit, the airplane seats and the propeller.

The coat of arms of the former Ypenburg airbase was orange and contained three aircraft engines. This fresh orange colour can be found in our uniform and logo. One aircraft engine from the old coat of arms has also been given a place in our HCY logo. This way, the aviation history of Ypenburg remains alive!

In the thirties of the previous century Ypenburg, at that time part of Rijswijk, became an airfield for glider pilots and later for civil aviation. The airfield played a crucial role during the May days of 1940. During the Battle of the Residence fierce fighting took place between German paratroopers and Dutch soldiers. Ypenburg changed owners several times. After the war the airfield became a military base.

Ypenburg also became famous thanks to the International Air Show Ypenburg (ILSY), which was organized annually from 1945 to 1957. These air shows attracted thousands of visitors, including members of the royal family. In May 1997, Ypenburg closed definitively as an airfield. The last glider pilots made way for the residential area as we know it today.

2005: The first steps towards our own club

In order to promote the association in the neighbourhood, flyers were distributed, information was given at schools and attention was sought from the press. This was successful! At the first training on 13 April 2005 in the Piet Vink hall, 27 children were already present. A week later, on 20 April, there were 72 and on 27 April 61. In the weeks after that, the number remained stable at around 50 children.

But HCY did not have its own clubhouse and hockey fields yet. HCY started on the artificial grass field of handball club Hercules, located on the Boswijk complex. This became the new, temporary home base of HCY. The first training sessions took place there. Shirin Slabbers and Rob Meijer worked together with Sport First from Amsterdam in the hall to compensate for the shortage of trainers. Sometimes the fields of the TU Delft or the Piet Vink hall were used for training sessions.

Early May 2005, the municipality brought unexpected news: the ground for the new fields had not yet settled sufficiently. As a result, construction could only start six months later. This caused a slight panic in the municipality, which wondered where all the enthusiastic children could play. However, the young board remained calm and came up with a solution: Saturday matches on the TU Delft fields and Wednesday training in the Piet Vink hall.

2006-2007: from Boswijk to de Bras

In the 2005-2006 season, the club had 122 active members, the oldest of whom was 13 years old. At that time, the oldest player was 12 years old, and the club had 12 youth teams. That season, the games were mainly played on the Boswijk field. It was not until the summer of 2006 that the construction of the fields at "De Bras" and the construction of the clubhouse began.

The 2006-2007 season also started on the Boswijkveld, it was not until October 2006 that the Bras, or Overwallaan 150, could be played. HCY now had an artificial grass water field and two artificial grass sand fields and a mini playing field at its disposal. The clubhouse was not yet ready and temporary shelter was found at the neighbours; the community centre next to the clubhouse under construction was the clubhouse for HCY until 25 November.

On November 25, 2006, the time had finally come: the clubhouse was festively opened, accompanied by the music of the Air Force Band. During the ceremony, inspiring speeches were given by Sander Dekker, then alderman for Sports, the director of the KNHB and the chairman of HDM. The KNHB director expressed his admiration for the new complex and even called HCY “worthy of the premier league.” Three days later, Rob Meijer and Bob Leinweber kept their word: they stepped down from the board of HCY, as promised. That day also showed that Sander Dekker can do more than just give speeches. Photos show that he has quite a push in him! The opening day was full of activities and clinics, which made the festivities complete.

2007-2008: Doubling of membership

Things were going well for HCY, the second season 2006-2007 the number of members had more than doubled to 280 youth members and a group of recreational hockey players. The highlight was the opening of the clubhouse and the fields by alderman Sander Dekker on 25 November 2006. It was a bit later than hoped. Johan Wakkie, director of the KNHB and present at the opening, thought the complex was worthy of a premier league club.

At that time, the water field of HCY was the most modern hockey field in the Netherlands where, among others, the Dutch national team sometimes played practice matches. The club could now grow further and therefore recruited among seniors in the second season.

Since the 2008-2009 season, HCY has had a Veterans team (2nd division).

2009-2010: On to 700 members in the first Lustrum

In 2009, HCY already had 44 teams, including 9 youth teams, 1 senior team and trim hockey, with 503 youth members. In 2010, the association grew rapidly to 700 members, of which 610 were youth members. This season also marked the establishment of Dames 1.

On Sunday 18 April 2010, HCY celebrated its first lustrum with a sunny and pleasant day full of hockey activities. Johann Wakkie, chairman of the KNHB, praised the rapid growth of the club. By the end of 2010, the number of members had already reached 720, while the number of activities also increased and the club became more and more lively.

In 2009, on the occasion of the completion of the 10,000th home in Ypenburg, a sports party was also organised at HCY.

In 2010, trainer Maarten Schoemaker set up the Pannencompetitie, initially as a summer activity for the trimmers of HCY. The competition quickly expanded to a regional competition, when a team from Cartouche joined. What started as 6-on-6, later became the most popular 5-on-5 competition in the region. Trimmers, women, men, veterans, veteran women and youth aged 17 and older – from HCY and other clubs – participate enthusiastically. Every evening, the challenge cup, a pan, is awarded to the daily winner. The Pannencompetitie has now become a popular and exciting annual event in the region.

2011-2012: Hockey stickers

In the 2011-2012 season, the entire club started collecting hockey stickers. For every 10 euros spent on groceries at C1000, you received a set of five stickers, with which everyone could collect the faces of the club in a collector's album. Many former HCY'ers probably still have that album somewhere in their closet!

May and June were, as always, all about tournaments. HCY organized several events, such as the Nations Tournament, the Circus Tournament and the Animals Tournament. In addition, more and more teams went abroad for international experiences.

2013-2014: Milestone of 1000 members

On January 14, 2014, HCY reached the milestone of 1000 members! Since then, the number of members has remained stable, just above 1000. HCY also continued to improve in sports. In 2014, for example, MB1 was already playing in the Topklasse and other teams, such as JC1, were in the subtop.

The year 2014 was also completely dominated by the Hockey World Cup. The 13th World Cup was held from 31 May to 15 June in the ADO Kyocera stadium. For HCY this was a year full of action: a flash mob, a club day, parties for youth and seniors, a sleepover for the E and D youth and enjoying the top matches in the stadium together.

In addition, Floris Jan Bovelander and Remco Hartgers organized an international High Performance Coaching course at our club from 6 to 9 June 2014. During that Pentecost weekend we welcomed a large number of foreign and Dutch hockey coaches at HCY.

In 2014, the girls of MC1 experienced an unforgettable Pentecost weekend during the Challenge Verrier tournament in Saint Germain, Paris. Together with JC3 they represented HCY on this international stage and proudly returned with a silver medal.

2014-2015: The new World Cup field is put into use

On Sunday 31 August 2014, the new water field on field 1 was officially put into use. This new grass pitch was used during the Hockey World Cup in the Kyocera Stadium. Former national coach Paul van Ass together with The Hague alderman Rabin Baldewsingh performed the official opening.

During the second lustrum, many activities were organised. It started with a party day on 29 March 2015 with, among other things, an obstacle course and a pan cup where the cup was presented by alderman Rabin Baldewsingh. A big 10 was also made of members on the field: this wall photo can still be seen in the clubhouse. There were big parties, such as a disco party for the D/E/F youth, a Summer White Party with Fajah Lourens, DJ Jean and Rick Romijn and a closing lustrum party with a live band. But there was also plenty of hockey: educational clinics, for example led by former international Maurits Crucq and multiple international Hidde Turkstra.

With a comfortable 8-1 victory over Waddinxveen D1, the Ladies 1 team became champions in 2016 and were directly promoted to the third division.

This year we will also start with cashless payments at HCY. And the HCY Clubcard will be introduced, a personal membership card.

2016-2017: The first Big HCY Day

In 2016, the referees received a Hockey Referee Masterclass from Coen van Bunge, the best Dutch hockey referee.

In 2017, the first Big HCY Day and the first Oktoberfest were organized. Also, the third Men's Veterans Team, VetCool, was founded. Indoor hockey made a big leap: 256 of the 301 members voted for the arrival of an air dome at HCY. This year, the club also became smoke-free.

Ladies 1 made great strides in these years. This young team, fully trained within HCY, was promoted to the third division in 2016 and to the 2nd division in 2018. An impressive achievement, especially considering that the team fought in the play-outs in 2017 for maintenance in the third division.

In 2017, Ladies 2 became undefeated champions and were promoted to the reserve 3rd class!

2018-2019: HCY Go! and Men 1 in the SilverCup

In 2018, Ladies 2 made history by becoming champions for the second year in a row and being promoted to the reserve 2nd class. The new Men 1 team also made themselves heard: they became indoor champions and fought for promotion on the field until the last Sunday. Unfortunately, they just missed out on the prizes with a nice third place. Both A1 teams managed to qualify for the Top Class that year, a unique achievement in the history of HCY.

In 2018, the Men 1 team performed strongly in the KNHB SilverCup. In the fourth round, they faced IJssel H1, a team that played two classes higher. With over 500 supporters along the sidelines, the atmosphere was great. There were literally and figuratively fireworks on the field. The Men 1 team fought their way to a 2-2 draw, but eventually lost after an exciting shoot-out series. Fortunately, DJ Nijkie provided a consoling conclusion with a festive afterparty.

That same year, the members set up a task force, called HCYGo!, to make recommendations for the future of the association. This group brought new impetus and energy, which resulted in various projects being resumed or accelerated. Think of the realization of the air dome, sustainability, a healthy kitchen, improvements to the accommodation, training of trainers and coaches, more communication and an evaluation of the hockey technical policy. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, these initiatives were made possible, which made the association even stronger and more future-proof.

A completely new board took office in January 2019 to work with all volunteers on the further development of HCY and the implementation of the recommendations of the Taskforce HCY GO. An important starting point for the new board is to recalibrate the existing hockey technical policy and, where necessary, adapt it to the current situation and wishes. On Tuesday 12 November 2019, the TC and board had a first information evening to test the opinions and ideas of the members on the basis of the Technical Policy 2020 concept. The aim of the meeting was to actively involve all members in the policy and thus ensure the broadest possible support. The meeting resulted in interesting refinements of the existing policy. Furthermore, volunteer policy, communication and the training of trainers are high on the agenda.

The Big Club Campaign raised 5303.30 euros in 2019!

2019-2020: YpaCamp, SilverCup and the blue card

In 2019, our Ladies senior members organized the very first YpaCamp: 3 days of fun and lots of hockey for the F, E and D line. That year, Men 1 was also promoted to the third class and the MA1 to the subtop class. In 2019, both the Ladies 1 and the Men 1 won the third round of the SilverCup. The fourth round against Forescate was even won by the Men 1 with 4-3. Corona unfortunately put an end to this competition.

Osaka became the new clothing sponsor of HCY in 2019 for 5 years. The Blue Card for Sportsmanship and Respect and a new code of conduct were introduced. And Social Media became increasingly important for the club: the number of followers continued to grow.

The Grote Club Actie held a competition to come up with a name for the new mascot. The winner of the name competition was Jamie Matla from team J8E1. He came up with the winning name for the mascot: Yppi! You can tell from the beak that it is a stork - after all, it lives in The Hague. The pilot's helmet refers to the old Ypenburg airport, just like the propellers in the HCY logo. The Grote Club Actie raised 7083.60 euros in 2020!

2020-2021: Corona made for a special season

The year 2020 was a special year in many ways. The indoor season was disrupted by storm Ciara and the field competition came to an early end due to the Corona pandemic.

For the anniversary year new initiatives were developed, such as a PubQuiz, this HCY Magazine, and anniversary items, such as a hockey ball, anniversary beer, thermos cup, water bottle, umbrella and Osaka goalkeeper shirts for all goalkeepers. The clubhouse was also taken care of inside and out: the window frames were repainted in new fresh colours, a chill corner was created, new furniture was made, cameras were hung etc. There was also renovation on the field, such as dugouts for field 2 and 3, these are larger, more luxurious and transparent. The changing rooms were completely pimped by JC1 with beautiful HCY colours.

Despite Corona, there were also new initiatives: such as the Season Opening Day, a popular Trimclinic and the appointment of a Technical Coordinator for more structure around training and guidance in the club. More than 30 trainers and coaches followed the KNHB HT1 basic training and 16 trainers the advanced training HT2.

The SportsCafé HCY Inside was introduced, with Michiel vd Struijck, former goalkeeper and coach, as inspiring first speaker. After the preliminary competition, JA1 managed to play in the national Super A competition for the first time. Finally, a start was made on making the club more sustainable, by replacing all lighting with LED.

In 2020, HCY has 1012 members, of which 780 are under 19 years old. Financially, we have come through the Corona period reasonably well and the number of members has remained relatively intact.

2021-2022: A second water field and 3 teams in the national competition

The summer of 2021 was all about renovating the hockey fields. This project was carried out in 13 weeks by main contractor AH VRIJ Groen Grond en Infra and various subcontractors (Smits leading water solutions, Strago Electro, Intergrass BV, Domo Sports Grass and Hekbouw). The new fields were delivered on Friday 3 September and the Trimmers and Veterans were the first to play on them! On Wednesday 8 September, the fields were inspected for sports technology by KIWA. HCY now officially has two water fields, a new sand field and a new practice field.

The season started with a nice Opening weekend. Unfortunately, especially in the first half of the season, we still had to deal with Corona measures, such as the 1.5 meters for 18 years and older. The clubhouse was only accessible to all persons aged 18 and over after showing a valid CTB (Corona access card). The ID also had to be checked. The changing rooms were also only accessible to all persons aged 18 and over after showing a valid CTB.

The corona pandemic has also thrown the indoor season into disarray. It started with a lockdown from 5 p.m. and then an indoor competition that was completely stopped. But the indoor committee found indoor capacity with a lot of creativity and flexibility and with a lot of puzzling, managed to restart the training sessions and then the competition to some extent. 41 HCY teams were allowed to show their indoor hockey skills this season, for others the indoor season has already ended. Due to corona, several teams were incomplete and it was a challenge to let teams start the competition. Often various solutions were found so that the competitions could continue. There were no official indoor champions this season, after all, the competitions were not played in full.

This season, HCY will have no less than 3 teams playing in the national competition. JA1 and JB1 will play in the National Subtop class and MB1 will even play in the National Top class! This is unique for HCY. The club has also gained a large number of new HT1 trainers, 11 new HT2 trainers and even 5 new HT3 trainers. This is fully in line with the ambition in which training and coaching are central.

End of the season there was another successful and sunny Big HCY Day! It was nice to see that the concept has not lost its shine after 3 years (due to corona). Parents of the new teams could meet each other and divide the tasks for the new season. Players followed fun clinics and were challenged at the shoot-outs. They could get rid of their energy on the obstacle course and air cushions.

In and around the clubhouse there were candy floss and mini pancakes and DJ Remy provided the summer vibe. Sport2000 was there with nice offers and at SPTL there was again a line to eat bits. A number of teams were photographed, with or without Yppi. Also, no less than 9 teams were honored by the board as champions of the season: MD5, MD1, JD1, MC3, JB1, JB2, MB2, HJ1 and D2. A great achievement for the players and supervisors! JB1 ends this year with a cup and the national subtop championship. Another highlight was the drinks with the volunteers. A special word of thanks went to the TC and line coordinators, who have recently put a lot of time and energy into the new team compositions. Finally, we could watch a match between Old Stars Dames 1 and Dames 2, for some a kind of reunion. It was an exciting match that eventually ended 2-2.

The Big Club Campaign raised a record amount of 8,925.24 euros in 2023!

2022-2023: New ambitions and promotion H1 to 2nd class

HCY has formulated ambitions for the coming years this season. This was done together with a number of members and the KNHB on the basis of the member survey. The ambitions have been translated into the following concrete objectives:

Sporty: HCY offers everyone a good hockey education by qualified and motivated trainers based on the HCY curriculum.

Committed culture: HCY has a large group of volunteers, with whom all tasks within teams and the association can be carried out.

Healthy growth: HCY has a healthy growth of members and ensures member retention.

Social-Societal: HCY is a meeting place in the neighborhood with fun, sportsmanship and conviviality for and by the members, with respect for the environment.

Future-proof: HCY is ready for the future and adapts to the changing environment (sustainability, flexible membership, healthy sports environment).

On the field, 64 teams enjoy challenging hockey every weekend. Off the field, we organize the Grote Club Actie, parties, tournaments, the Ypa camp and the annual sleepover for the youngest youth. Memorable was the SilverCup match of our Men 1 where even the mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, turned out to be a true HCY fan! Men 1 was promoted to the 2nd class this season after an exciting match against Rapid, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

For the new season, HCY is switching to a new clothing brand and supplier: Jumbo Golf & Hockey, The Indian Maharadja and HCY. The clothing is available at Jumbo Golf & Hockey, both online and in the new store at Patrijsweg 34 in Rijswijk. The choice for the clothing brand The Indian Maharadja was made after extensive fitting sessions by members from all lines. The new clothing line consists of both a home and an away kit, tracksuits and other clothing items. The most important features of the kit, the HCY colours and the courts, have been retained. Every member of HCY gets the unique offer to purchase the new match shirt for five euros.

At the end of 2023, four sponsors (Mazars, Van den Heuvel Glas, Duijvestein Winterstore and KVL) joined forces to support a good cause by sponsoring the shirts of Ladies 1 and Men 1 of HCY. The lucky beneficiary of this campaign is the Jarige Job foundation, which is committed to giving children from the poorest families an unforgettable birthday. The Jarige Job foundation is known for its wonderful initiative to surprise children in financially difficult situations with a special birthday box. Instead of giving money, the foundation provides the children with a festive box full of decorations, treats for the classroom and for the teachers, delicacies for the visitors, and a gift.

The Big Club Campaign raised 8920.80 euros in 2023!

2023-2024: Most sustainable club in the region!

HCY is the first sports club in the region to achieve a milestone in the field of sustainability. The Hague Alderman for Sustainability, Energy Transition and Climate Adaptation, Arjen Kapteijns, presented the club with an A energy label on Wednesday 19 June 2024, thus festively concluding a successful sustainability project at HCY. HCY has focused on an energy-neutral hockey club on all fronts. For example, the sports club has switched to an installation of electric heat pumps for heating and cooling the clubhouse. 150 solar panels have also been installed on the roof and all rooms plus the three fields have been equipped with LED lighting, which results in major savings. The club uses groundwater from 15 metres deep to irrigate the two water fields. This results in a saving of 2 million litres of precious drinking water per season! A smart battery has also been installed to store the energy. This battery has an Energy Management System that enables the battery to independently supply or charge from the national network based on the most favourable actual energy prices. A win-win situation: it is good for the environment and generates income for the club.

In sports, there are many teams that play at an increasingly higher level. The girls of MO18-1 even played Super A this season! This season also had a large number of indoor champions: Ladies 2, JO18-12, JO14-1, MO14-3, MO12-1 and MO12-4. On the field we also had many champions: JO12-1, MO12-1, MO12-2, MO12-3, MO14-3, MO14-5 and JO16-2. And this season there was again the best 5 against 5 competition in the region: Pannen2024!

None other than international referee Coen van Bunge came to whistle a home match of D30-1 and D30-2 on April 14, 2024, together with the young talents of the club. A super fun and unexpected surprise following a competition in the Week of the Referee. Coen also came to our clubhouse again this year to take us into the world of #TeamFluit. Coen enthusiastically explained how you as a referee can best deal with sometimes difficult situations. Interspersed with practical examples and videos, the attendees were given a 2.5 hour masterclass by the best referee we know, in our own clubhouse.

Field 1 has seen better days after 10 years: the 2014 World Cup field 1 was replaced by a new water field in the summer of 2024. After 10 years, the patio furniture made of scaffolding wood was also removed.

After a trial period with G-Hockey, Inclusive Hockey was launched in 2024, with the aim of creating a safe and enjoyable environment where everyone can play hockey together. The positive reactions and enthusiastic participation have inspired the club to offer this program structurally as a permanent part of the hockey offer. Inclusive Hockey brings children with and without disabilities together.

This season a new tradition was born: an annual glossy HCY Magazine: a mature sequel to the four Lustrum/Corona editions of 2020.

The Big Club Campaign raised a record amount of 9081.60 euros in 2024!

2024-2025: HCY celebrates its 20th anniversary

Saturday afternoon, October 19, 2024, the new main field was officially opened! The old World Cup field from 2014 has been replaced by a brand new water field, with a Golden Olympic edge! Former club member and Olympic Champion Luna Fokke performed together with Olympic Champion

Champion goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak gave the spectacular opening! Afterwards there was a cool Meet & Greet with selfies and autographs for everyone! We not only celebrated the opening, but also the start of our 20th anniversary! It was an afternoon full of activities such as the Ypa clinic, obstacle course, shoot-outs, and a cozy market with stalls from Jumbo Hockey, Energiz, Jarig Job, and De Leukse Dingetjes. With free ice cream, mini pancakes and candy floss it was a party for everyone! The highlight was an occasional match between Trim and Veteranen/innen, a sporting match that was only decided at the last second. Followed by a BBQ in our new outdoor kitchen.

In the sporting field, unique performances were delivered. Ladies 1, 2 and 3 all went into the winter break undefeated, with D3 even having a goal difference of more than 100. Also in DO25 teams there were two winter champions to cheer. The icing on the cake were the 5 Silver Cup home matches of our Men 1 and Ladies 1: exciting games with 3 times shoot-outs.



All youth lines – O12, O14, O16 and O18 – enjoyed a Lustrum Christmas BBQ for four evenings in December 2024! It was a great opportunity to end the year together.