Zeewolde: My First Football Exchange

I’m a volunteer for the Berwick Rangers Juniors committee, and this year I had the incredible opportunity to join our annual exchange with VV Zeewolde in the Netherlands. The Zeewolde Exchange has a long-standing tradition in our club – this was our 33rd time taking part – and it’s an event everyone looks forward to year after year. It’s more than just football: it’s about cultural exchange, teamwork, friendship, and unforgettable memories.

The Journey Begins

This year, we set off on Saturday 24th May with 46 children, 10 adults, and our coach driver, travelling with Glen Valley Coaches. Our journey took us from Berwick to Dover, a ferry to Calais, and then onwards to Zeewolde. It was a long night of minimal sleep, a rocky ferry crossing, and a much quieter drive once we arrived in Europe. Spirits were high, though, and the excitement grew as we approached our destination.

On arrival in Zeewolde, we met our host families. Myself, Michael and Jacob were all placed with different families. I stayed with the delightful Nederveen family – Wouter, Kirsten, and their three children, Sanne, Daan, and Noah. They hosted four adults from our committee, and we couldn’t have felt more welcome. Their hospitality and kindness were amazing, especially with such a full house during a busy week.

Committee Match & Warm Welcome

That evening, we kicked things off with the committee match – an adults-only football game taken very seriously by all involved. I did not fancy joining in this one so I watched from the sidelines! And safe to say, we got beat by Zeewolde. Afterwards, we were welcomed into Josien and Jaap-Jan’s home for a BBQ and some drinks and a great evening of laughter. Huge thanks to them for their wonderful hospitality.

Heracles Almelo Tour

On Monday, we set off for a stadium tour of Heracles Almelo. For those unfamiliar, Heracles is a Dutch professional football club with a great history. Kids and adults alike loved the experience. We quickly had to abandon the no-phone rule when the children were desperate to take photos – and understandably so!

The kids then enjoyed a brilliant training session at Heracles’ training centre, followed by a visit to the club shop – and let’s just say a fair bit of money was spent on merch. By the end of the day, many of us were kitted out in Heracles tops and the club shop had made more in a day than they would have in a week!

That evening, our host family matches took place, where our U12, U14, and U16 teams played against local opposition. I had the chance to watch my son play in the U12s – he even scored a goal in a team with some older boys, which made his night, even though they lost. Our U16s, however, came away with a win!

De Voetbalfabriek & Survival Course

Tuesday brought a visit to De Voetbalfabriek – a fantastic indoor football-themed activity centre. It’s designed around football challenges and skill-building games, and the kids absolutely loved it. One group of our older boys and some adults couldn’t resist jumping in too – it got a bit competitive, with Josh determined to teach them all a lesson! In which he was successful!

Afterwards, we headed to a survival course – hands down one of the most fun (and muddy!) parts of the week. I went to take part but was mostly scoping out how muddy the next stage was, with no intention of diving in just yet… until my friend’s son Ollie had other ideas and launched me straight in! From that point on, it was full mud fights and laughter. Teamwork and mayhem all rolled into one!

Of course, after weeks of telling my husband to make sure he had packed everything, he forgot his old trainers for the survival course – so had to buy a lovely pair of denim-effect canvas shoes. This led to a full Lion King-style bus reveal, like when Simba was born – everyone was absolutely buzzing about the awful shoes that were not really practical. It became one of the funny talking points of the week!

That evening, while the kids spent time with their host families, we held an adult quiz night. The questions were a mix of football trivia, local knowledge, and a few wild cards – like how many kilometres the crow flies from Berwick to Zeewolde. Myself, Wayne, and Jan were a team. I thought we’d done pretty bad, but apparently, everyone else did worse because we won! Maybe it was down to me – although I did initially think the largest living mammal was the Megalodon… thankfully, I was corrected and our answer in the end, the blue whale was correct.

A Day at Walibi World

Wednesday was my favourite day – a trip to Walibi World theme park! Everyone went off in different directions to enjoy the rides. The log flume seemed to be the crowd favourite with our kids – you could always spot one of our lot on it. Some of us adults may have treated ourselves to fast passes to beat the queues! That evening, we had another round of matches, this time against ASV Dronten. Our U12s and U16s both won their games – a brilliant night of football all round.

Orienteering, Tournaments & Dutch Shuffleboard

Thursday began with an orienteering course around Zeewolde. I was with a group of kids and some locals to help us navigate… although we managed to miss the very first activity by taking a shortcut (and getting lost). We did eventually catch up with the rest of the course – mostly by ignoring the route and winging it. We weren’t going to win that one, especially after we ‘cheated’ our way back to the clubhouse early!

The afternoon gave us adults a bit of a rest while the kids took part in a FIFA tournament. Meanwhile, we discovered Dutch Shuffleboard – or Sjoelen – a brilliant tabletop game where you slide wooden discs into numbered slots. My first attempt scored me 108, which I was told is pretty decent! It was a big hit with both the kids and the grown-ups. And the best part? The VV Zeewolde committee kindly donated one for us to take home – we can’t wait to start our own tournaments at teen nights!

That evening was the Cup Games – a big night with plenty of anticipation. Sadly, our U12s and U16s didn’t win their matches, but there was huge celebration for our U14s, who lifted their cup!

Pool Day & Farewell Evening

Friday was our last full day, and we spent it at Bosbad Putten – an amazing indoor and outdoor swimming complex. We had glorious sunshine, and the kids had a blast. So did the adults! Slides, pools, and laughter all round.

That evening we had our farewell presentation night with all the host families, children, and committee members from both clubs. There were speeches, food, drinks, dancing, and a few too many wines on my part (which didn’t make the journey home the next day any easier!).

Making Friends for Life

Last year, we had Thijs and Julien stay with us during their visit to Berwick. This year, my son got to stay with Thijs, and it was so special seeing those friendships rekindled. The boys had kept in touch, and it was lovely they could reunite, not just for the kids but for us adults too who had spoken but never met – we’d all looked forward to seeing each other, and there were big hugs all round when we spotted them.

Our host family truly went above and beyond – acting as our personal taxis, feeding us, making space for us in their home, and always making sure there was a wine or beer ready when we got back in. We’ve made friends for life. Huge thanks to Sandra and Roy for looking after Jacob and giving him such a fun and memorable experience. He had a brilliant time with everyone. And thank you to Eva, Owen & Jade who hosted Michael too.

To the Dutch committee and every single family who took part – thank you. It was an amazing experience for the kids and for us adults too. The group of young people we travelled with were a joy to look after, and we all came home with memories that will last a lifetime.

We can’t wait to welcome our Dutch friends here next year. The countdown is already on!