HC Voordaan case study
HOLISTIC APPROACH SOLVES MMHC VOORDAAN’S INDOOR ISSUES
Legal complexities, hogwash by unscrupulous sales reps and the need to satisfy many different stakeholders can make any infrastructural project a challenge of massive proportions. It had hampered MMHC Voordaan for many years, until RSI SPORTS Group arrived at the scene.
Since the start of this year, MMHC Voordaan is smiling all the way to the bank as the club has taken control over accommodating members keen on participating in the indoor hockey competitions. “If RSI SPORTS Group hadn’t suggested that we look at the issue holistically, all our members would still be cycling long distances in poor weather conditions or dangerous traffic circumstances.
We would also have continued spending money instead of opening an extra revenue stream,” says Sander Engels, the Facilities Manager for the club. The club faced a basic issue: its site was deemed unsuitable for hosting temporary infrastructure to accommodate an indoor competition. Guided by RSI, the club opened talks with the local korfball club as their facility didn’t host any activity during the winter season.
‘’ Thanks to their vision in terms of the concept, the approach to our issue and the positioning of their Sportsdome we now have sufficient capacity to offer our members a true home venue to host their indoor games. The travelling time and cost for teams and fans have been slashed significantly. This has encouraged them to spend more time at our club which, as a result, has seen an increase in the sales of food and beverages. Our bar now generates an extra EUR 10.000 per month which is money we never had. In the past, all money spend on food or drinks would only benefit the owners of the indoor facilities we rented’’ – Sander Engels
EHV
TOP-CLASS FACILITY
EHC is now the proud owner of a Duol Dome. “With its size of 45 x 35m, it hands us one fully covered field that complies with the compulsory dimensions in the highest Dutch league. On match days, we can even bring in stands to accommodate the spectators, media and officials. To them, attending the game is a marvellous experience, as they sit right up near the edge of the field,” Van Doeland continues. The dome has also been positioned so that the floor can be converted into two smaller sized fields that are suitable for training purposes.
Van Doeland admits that an airdome wasn’t immediately top of the list as a possible solution for HV EHC. “The business case for a sports dome wasn’t clear to us initially. However, the more we started to investigate the various options and the associated maintenance costs, the more our enthusiasm for owning a sports dome grew.” He hails the guidance and support the club received from Anton van Oirschot of RSI SPORTS Group. “Anton went to great length to explain the advantages and to help us fill in the business case. He even went as far as joining us when we had to present our plans to the local fire department.” One of the biggest eye-openers for the club was the possibility of reducing costs by using members to erect and dismantle the dome. “You don’t require specialist expertise: all it takes is a group of members for half a day to make it happen. We are confident that our members will join in, as our membership is made up of entire families with a strong connection to the club. Being members of the club makes them feel as if they are being draped in a warm blanket,” Van Doeland says. Furthermore, the idea of being able to host both an indoor and outdoor season attracted the club too. “Playing outdoors always has a special dimension.”
