About 30 years ago, Amsterdam met a brand new basketball organization called BC Schrobbelaar. In this article, Mark Jurgens, one of the members of the board, will tell us more about Schrobbelaar.
Mission and goals
You might be curious where the name Schrobbelaar come from. The answer lies with the establishing of this organization. “The founders came from the south of the Netherlands and founded BC Schrobbelaar in 1989,” as Jurgens says. “They called this organization BC Schrobbelaar because of a famous drink right from the south of the Netherlands: Schrobbelèr.”
When you talk about the mission of BC Schrobbelaar, it becomes quite obvious what they want to achieve. “Our primary goal changed as the years passed by. This organization used to be one of the many clubs in Amsterdam where you could practice and play basketball. Right now, we are the only club for students in Amsterdam. With that, we have a bond with the HvA and the University of Amsterdam. Our primary goal now is to be a nice and cozy organization to national and international students. Although we do practice and play in a serious way, we also like to organize some parties, get somewhere to drink or visit festivals. Right now, we have for about 80 members, four men teams and two women teams. We have an extra ladies team since this season, so our members have grown as well.”
Difficult times
It is almost impossible to dodge difficult times within a club. BC Schrobbelaar had to face several problems, but managed to get past them and get stronger. “We had some difficult times a couple of years ago. Our board has always been formed by students, which means that they used to run this organization besides their school. As result, we had to face several financial problems in the past. In order to survive and go further as an organization, we have held more meeting to make sure what those kinds of activities are all about. Right now our financial statement is good and we have our own warming-up shirts since this season.”
GNSK
This organization has been founded 30 years ago. What are the performances BC Schrobbelaar be proud of? And what kinds of challenges do they expect? “We can be proud of being a nice and cozy organization,” according to Jurgens. “Everyone who wants to join us is more than welcome, though you need to have some basketball skills. This year, the Groot Nederlands Studenten Kampioenschap (GNSK) will be held in Amsterdam. We see that as an opportunity to win a student championship in the Nederlands. The roster has many players of Schrobbelaar. We are not playing 3×3 basketball yet, but it sounds like a great opportunity to do that. It will be also great for you international students. When we will play, we will certainly promote that and maybe we can mean something to 3×3 basketball in Amsterdam as an organization for students.”
Want to join BC Schrobbelaar?
Then again, what makes you feel so welcome at BC Schrobbelaar? As Mark Jurgens goes on, it’s quite obvious why students want to be a part of BC Schrobbelaar. “We are also very active off the basketball court. A basketball club for students certainly helps to create different networks when you are new as a student in Amsterdam. We would like to keep up a good combination between playing basketball and coziness off the court. Everyone knows each other within our organization and that is why BC Schrobbelaar gives a nice and warm family feeling.”
