VV Haren finally takes the title again after 27 years. Eric and Mark proud of ‘champion gnomes’

The Pathfinder lands on Mars, Friesland officially becomes Fryslân, Google is born, the first part of the Harry Potter books is published and Haren becomes champion. As Mart Smeets would say: living room question, what year is this?

Happy florist

The answer is 1997. So 27 years ago, VV Haren, the Haren football club for ‘the common people’ – in contrast to the traditionally chic Be Quick 1887 – could celebrate a championship. Top scorer Stephan Wijma was two years old. Perhaps he was already there as a toddler, because Wijma is ‘a child of the club’, says board member Mark van Dam on Saturday afternoon before the start of the championship match against Glimmen.

Van Dam himself was certainly there. He was the left back. ,,A real wingback , I covered the entire left side. I was way ahead of my time, haha.” Special: VV Haren won the 1997 championship, then still in the fourth division on Sunday, also on May 4. “But we should have decided it much earlier. I was just talking about it with veteran René de Jager. He had to get new flowers five times because it didn’t work every week. We really had a good team at the time, with Eric Tepper and Pascal Bouwman as standouts.”

Pride

A little later, Tepper happens to walk past the boardroom. Van Dam calls him in. The two appear not only responsible for the 1997 championship, but are also, almost literally, at the cradle of the upcoming title. They trained a large part of the current selection when they were still gnomes, the age category that is even before what used to be the F’s.

“You should know that during the matches we sometimes look at each other proudly, that so many boys from back then have come first.” There is every reason for that again early in the match against Glimmen on Saturday afternoon, because As early as the eighth minute, the home team takes an advance on the championship. Daniel Dijkstra makes a great pass to Marniek Berends and he finishes it off with a dry shot into the far corner: 1-0.

Ass ball

But the highlight before half-time came from coach Henk de Koe by killing a high ball that crossed the line with the buttocks. Applause from the full terrace at the canteen, and De Koe can laugh about it himself. But a little later he is back to coaching fanatically and seriously on the sidelines.

The seasoned amateur trainer is new to Haren this season and Tepper also has a special hand in that. “My father used to be a caretaker at the Th. Lancee Mavo in town and Henk was a student there. If he was late, and that happened quite often haha, he knew he had to ask my father about VV Haren and then everything would be fine. That’s why Henk always wanted to work at Haren again.”

Party almost ruined

De Koe and his followers will certainly not receive the championship; In addition to a championship match, it is also a derby – so the sons of Glimmen striker Tim Oosterhof, who play for VV Haren, are the pupils of the week. After rest, Glimmen still does his best to ruin Haren’s party.

This almost works with Steef Sterken’s 1-1, but eight minutes before the end it is Marniek Berends who scores again and in injury time it also becomes 3-1. Bad business for the florist this time, but everyone at VV Haren is very happy. After 27 years, finally champion again.