The Wageningen soccer teams represented the Netherlands at the EC. Private photo. The student soccer European Championships in Tirana, Albania, is over. Wageningen University attended for the first time with both a men’s and a women’s team. Team captains Judith Alkema (women) and Rijk Dersjant (men) look back upon the tournament and their travel to and from it with satisfaction.
The women’s team was dealt a tough hand, says Alkema. ‘The draw put us in a pool with Spain and Portugal, last year’s numbers one and three, respectively. These teams are almost professional, with two coaches, their own physiotherapists and so on. Some of the players were even paid to join. We were not entirely without opportunities, but the differences were apparent. Each opportunity these teams had, they landed a goal.’ After two lost matches, the women’s team battled for ninth place with the other teams that had reached third place in their pool. ‘At some point, we decided that we just wanted to enjoy the game. The last match had us at 1-1 in the final minute. We could have won, but the other team scored a goal in the very last minute. Bad luck for us.’
We were not entirely without opportunities, but the differences were apparent. Each opportunity these teams had, they landed a goal
Judith Alkema, women’s team captain
Despite the outcome, Alkema calls it a fantastic experience. ‘You’re all together in a hotel, and that made it feel a little like joining the Olympics. There was a great opening ceremony. One of the lessons I have learned about Dutch university football is that the top-class sports climate should be cherished more. In France, the university teams compete every few weeks. There, it is a real championship that includes professionals. They take it far more seriously. In contrast, in the Netherlands, we have a single annual soccer tournament during the weekend. If we want to stand a chance, the organisation in the Netherlands must step up.’
Quarterfinals
The men’s team did slightly better, says Dersjant. ‘We knew beforehand that every team would be better than we are, but soccer is still soccer. We had a battle plan: keep it compact and try to score from a counter. We achieved that in the first three matches.’ The men won against Germany, lost against Poland, and the match against Albania ended in a draw. This took them to the quarterfinals, in which they lost 3-0 to a different German team. ‘And justly so,’ says Dersjant, ‘they were far better and ended up winning the tournament.’ The men’s team reached eighth place out of sixteen.
Over land
The decision to travel to Albania by land was a good one. Dersjant: ‘We aimed to reduce our emissions by travelling by bus. But above all, it was lots of fun. The trip was great, and the buses gave us the freedom to see more of Albania than just the tournament. We visited the mountains, the beach, a dam and more.’
Being able to stick to our values and show that you don’t need to fly feels good
Alkema: ‘Not all of us were acquainted as a team, so spending three days in a bus is a team-building experience. The route through countries such as Austria, Slovenia and Montenegro was fantastic. Gorgeous mountain landscapes, stopping to take a swim in a lake along the way; it almost felt like a holiday. Being able to stick to our values and show that you don’t need to fly feels good. All the other teams, except for Poland, had travelled by plane. We demonstrated that this is a viable alternative.’
An overview of the trip and the tournament. Team pictures.
