(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
 HCAW organizes 2023 European Champions Cup; Also games in Amsterdam
Nederlands
 BUSSUM (Neth.) -
Dutch baseball-champion HCAW will organize the European Champions Cup-tournament in 2023, the club announced on Monday (November 28).
HCAW's home-site, the Rob Hoffmann Baseball Valley, will be the main-location for the annual event, which is organized under auspices by WBSC Europe.
During the 2023 tournament, games also will be played at the Loek Loevendie Ballpark, the home-site of Amsterdam Pirates, which is the second Dutch team that will particpate in the tournament.
The playing dates, schedule and format will be announced later.
...The Rob Hoffmann Baseball Valley, the home-site of HCAW in Bussum...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
This year, HCAW swept Curaçao Neptunus in four games in the best-of-seven Holland Series to capture the Dutch Championship-title for the first time in 24 years.
By losing the Championship Final, Neptunus also was left empty-handed for the European Champions Cup-tournament.
Amsterdam Pirates finished in first place of the regular season and therefore, the then reigning champion became the first team to qualify for next years tournament.
As Pirates was later eliminated in the Play-Offs, it meant that only the new National Champion would become the second team to represent the Netherlands in the tournament.
This year, the tournament was played in Bonn (Germany).
There, Amsterdam Pirates reached the Final and faced CariParma Parma Angels from Italy.
Pirates led 5-3 after four innings and 6-4 after six, but ended up short and lost 7-6.
Neptunus had to play in the relegation-game against Heidenheim Heideköpfe from Germany.
In that game, Neptunus trailed 4-0 after the first inning, but led 6-4 in the ninth.
Heidenheim then came alongside to force extra innings.
Thanks to a grand slam homerun in the top of the tenth inning, Neptunus won 10-8 to secure the second Dutch spot in the tournament.
Now being the Dutch Champion, HCAW decided to submit a bid to organize the event, which was supported by both Amsterdam Pirates and the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB).
On Monday, WBSC Europe announced that it awarded the organization to the Bussum-club.
In the announcement made by HCAW, the club's chairman Bas Veerman stated that he is very pleased that the tournament will be played in Bussum.
Veerman said: ,,I am very happy that after winning the national title we have now also managed to bring in the organization of the European Cup.
It is a wonderful stage for our players to show themselves and now that it is in Bussum, all our super enthusiastic supporters can enjoy five days of international top baseball.
It is also an opportunity for us as a club to show that together with the KNBSB we can organize a great international event for the team, our members, for the entire baseball-playing Netherlands and for residents of the municipality of Gooise Meren.
It should be one big party.''
...The Loek Loevendie Ballpark, the home-site of Amsterdam Pirates...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
From 1979 through 2007, the games for the European Cup, which is the highest club-competition, were played in a tournament-format.
In 2008-2012, the European Cup became the European Champions Cup and two Qualifying Tournaments were played annually.
The two best teams of each tournament advanced to the Final Four.
In 2013-2015, only the winners of the two Qualifiers advanced to meet in a final series.
Since 2016, the format is back to a single tournament.
Since 1979, thirteen tournaments (including qualifiers) were organized in the Netherlands.
The first time was in 1980 when Amstel Tijgers (Amsterdam) and Neptunus (Rotterdam) shared the organization.
The last time was in 2018 when Neptunus hosted the event and also won the Cup.
In that year, games also were played at the site of Euro Stars in Capelle a/d IJssel.
Between 1992 and 2007, five tournaments for the European Cup Winners Cup were organized in the Netherlands.
For HCAW, it will mark the first time that it will host the European Cup (now Champions Cup).
In the past, the Bussum-club organized two Cup Winners Cup-tournaments (1992, 2001).
For Amsterdam Pirates, it will be the second time that it will host European Cup-games.
In 2011, the club organized one of the two Qualifying Tournaments.
(November 28)
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