(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Marco Stoovelaar)
 Pioniers Head Coach Klaver steps down; Flanegin succeeds
Nederlands
...Dè Flanegin => new Head Coach Vaessen Pioniers...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
 HOOFDDORP (Neth.) -
Robert Klaver has stepped down as Head Coach of Vaessen Pioniers after having led the team for five seasons, the Haarlems Dagblad newspaper reported on Thursday (September 3).
Former player Dè Flanegin has been named successor of Klaver, who will remain with the team as Bench Coach.
Aruba-born Dè Flanegin, who will turn 44 in December, first played for Hoofddorp Pioniers in 1992, when the team played in the First Division.
In that year, Pioniers promoted to the Dutch big league.
Flanegin then played for the main squad of the Hoofddorp-club in the highest division since 1993 through 2008.
He returned in 2010 and played in five more seasons for Pioniers.
In total, he played in 22 seasons for the club, 21 of them at the highest level.
As outfielder and later first baseman and designated hitter, the righthanded hitter was a core player of Pioniers, with whom he won the Dutch championship-title in 1997.
This was the lone championship-title the club has won.
On May 12, 2013, Flanegin became the recordholder for most games played in the Dutch big league for a single club, breaking the record of 691 games played, set by Jurjan Koenen (HCAW).
Flanegin retired after the 2014 season, having participated a record 750 games.
On August 31 of that year, he played his last game for Pioniers.
In that game, which was a Play-Off match-up vs. Kinheim, Flanegin played in all nine positions, closing as a pitcher.
On July 5 of this year, his uniform number 30 was officially retired by Pioniers.
...Robert Klaver steps down after 5 years...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the early nineties, Flanegin also played several games in the highest Dutch Men Softball League, playing for Antillian Stars in Utrecht.
This season, Flanegin was one of the coaches of the Men Softball Team of Pioniers.
Next year, Flanegin will make his debut as Head Coach in the big league.
However, it will not be his debut as a coach.
In 2008 and 2010, while playing, he also was the Hitting Coach of Pioniers.
In June 2010, Pioniers and then-Head Coach Bernie Beckman separated.
The three Assistant Coaches Peter Barentsen, Theo Geerman and Dè Flanegin then formed a trio that jointly led the team, but Geerman was the Head Coach.
In September of 2010, after completion of the season, Robert Klaver became the new Head Coach of Pioniers.
Robert Klaver has led Pioniers in five full seasons (2011-2015) as Head Coach after he already had led the team in 2002-2005.
In his second stint in Hoofddorp, Klaver guided Pioniers to the Play-Offs in all of his seasons.
In 2011 and 2013, Pioniers qualified for the Holland Series, losing to Amsterdam Pirates and Neptunus respectively.
In all his seasons, Klaver led Pioniers to 25 or more victories.
Under Klaver's leadership the last five seasons, Pioniers was 132-74 with four ties.
This season, Pioniers finished in fourth place during the regular season with a 25-17 record.
In the Play-Offs, the team opened with losing three games against L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
In its next two 3-game series, the Hoofddorp-team won one game against Curaçao Neptunus and Corendon Kinheim.
(September 3)
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