(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Marco Stoovelaar)
 Bart Volkerijk new Executive Director of KNBSB
Nederlands
 NIEUWEGEIN (Neth.) -
Former big league and Netherlands Team-pitcher Bart Volkerijk will become the new Executive Director of the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB).
On Tuesday (March 1), it was announced that the 59-year old Volkerijk will succeed Hans Meijer, who will retire at the end of this year after having led the KNBSB for fifteen years.
Volkerijk will begin as Executive Director on May 16.
Since 2006, Bart Volkerijk is the Director of Sportservice Zuid-Holland, a foundation which has as a goal to stimulate sports and moving, plus promoting a healthy life-style.
Volkerijk also is a member of the Board of Sportkracht 12, which is a governing body of provincial sports organizations, and he also is Alliance Manager of Olympic Network Zuid-Holland.
Since 2013, Bart Volkerijk is the President of the Board of the Foundation World Port Tournament, which organizes an international baseball-tournament every odd year in the city of Rotterdam.
...Hans Meijer...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Hans Meijer became the Executive Director of the Head Office of the KNBSB on January 1, 2002 after having worked already as interim-Director since September 2001.
From April 1999 through October 2001, Meijer was a member of the Board of the Royal Netherlands Swimming Association.
In a press release, Bart Volkerijk states:
,,After having worked more that ten years for Sportservice Zuid-Holland, I'm now getting the opportunity to work for the Association, with whom I grew up as a baseball-player and National Team-player.
It is an enormous challenge, which I'm willing to take.''
Volkerijk continues:
,,I'm an involved manager with a broad look to oversee what's happening in the entire organization.
Looking from the perspective of baseball, I'm a teamplayer with, being a pitcher, an individual approach.
The quality of the individual accomplishment is important, but without a team, there is no result.
Using talent and quality from within one's own organization is an important condition for a good team-result.''
Ron Schel, who became President of the Board of the KNBSB in April last year, is happy with Bart Volkerijk succeeding Hans Meijer.
He expects that with his knowledge and experience, Volkerijk can give an important impulse for the further development of the baseball and softball-sport.
...Bart Volkerijk congratulates new...
...record-holder Rob Cordemans...
...after winning his 151st game in 2012...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Bart Volkerijk played his entire career for ADO.
With the baseball-team of this in The Hague based club, Volkerijk pitched in the Dutch big league for 21 seasons (1974-1978; 1980-1987; 1989-1996).
In that span, Volkerijk, who also played at first base and as DH, played in 510 games for ADO, including 332 as pitcher.
Volkerijk is one of only six players who have played 500 (or more) games with one club in the Dutch big league.
...Bart Volkerijk with team-mate Eric de Vries and...
...baseball-ambassador Bill Arce during the...
...European Championship 1989 in Paris (France)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In his career as righthanded pitcher, Volkerijk struckout 1948 batters, which still is a record.
He won 150 games, a record which was broken in 2012 by L&D Amsterdam Pirates-pitcher Rob Cordemans.
After conclusion of his impressive career, his uniform number 21 was retired and he was named Member of Merit at ADO.
Later, Volkerijk also served a Head Coach and Pitching Coach of the baseball-team of ADO in the Dutch big league.
Bart's father Leen Volkerijk was a longtime baseball-coach and also led ADO as Head Coach, besides being the Pitching Coach of the National Team for several years.
Each year, a trophy, named after Leen Volkerijk, is handed out to a person, who is active in player development.
As player of the Netherlands National Team, Bart Volkerijk played in 71 official international games.
With the Orange squad, Volkerijk participated in one Olympic Games (1988, South Korea), one Intercontinental Cup Tournament, seven World Championships, nine European Championships, six Haarlem Baseball Weeks and three World Port Tournaments, amongst other international events.
(March 1)
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