Dodgeball Amsterdam Founders | Meet DCA's Visionaries

Meet the Founders

The visionaries who started it all

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Hear from the Founders

Three visionaries who threw the first ball and started it all. Here's their story of how DCA came to life.

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The Spark

Bas

"The nearest practice location was in Haarlem, while we all lived in Amsterdam, the biggest city in the Netherlands. This distance sparked an idea: there was a clear opportunity to build a dodgeball community right here, closer to home. We focused on building the club's foundation by inviting people from our existing sports communities."

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Building the Foundation

Pim

"We set out to make DCA a place where everyone could join and belong. No mandatory subscriptions, no high costs or obligations. We spread the word through personal connections—people bringing friends, and their friends bringing more friends."

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The Vision

Wouter

"When I compare those first few training sessions with our close friends to the professional organization we are today, I feel overwhelming pride. The club has grown far beyond the people who founded it. Looking toward the future, I see a growing, loving, and enthusiastic community of friends!"

The three founders in action during a dodgeball game

⚡ LIVE IN ACTION ⚡

From Vision to Reality

Here they are—the three visionaries who turned a simple idea into Amsterdam's most dynamic dodgeball community! This is where passion meets action, where founders become players, and where the dream of DCA comes alive on the court. 🏆

3 Founders

1 Dream

∞ Impact

📖 Read the Full Story

Dive deeper into each founder's personal journey and discover what drives their passion for dodgeball

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Bas

The Spark

My journey into dodgeball started with Pim, a good friend from my volleyball days. After just two training sessions, I got an unexpected invitation to a European Championship in Italy. Despite being new to the sport, I was incredibly excited and said yes. However, being there, getting hit so often and not knowing all the rules left me feeling I had a lot to learn. It ignited a desire to train harder, not just to avoid feeling outmatched, but to become truly competitive.

At the time, the Dutch dodgeball scene was years behind other countries vying for medals. The nearest practice location was in Haarlem, while we all lived in Amsterdam, the biggest city in the Netherlands. This distance sparked an idea: there was a clear opportunity to build a dodgeball community right here, closer to home.

Our goal was to train at a high level with players nearby. But this presented a challenge: new players wouldn't instantly be at a competitive standard, and not everyone shared the ambition for the highest level. To tackle this, we focused on building the club's foundation. We started by inviting people from our existing sports communities, creating a core group to begin with. By securing a consistent training location and time, we could attract others interested in the sport, train them up, and eventually grow a strong pool of players to practice with and elevate our collective skill level.

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Pim

The Foundation

My dodgeball journey began when I was still playing handball. A group of friends from my beachhandball days discovered the national ultimate dodgeball championship—dodgeball played on trampolines! We competed 6v6 with 3 balls and minimal rules. In the finals, we defeated a team from Leeuwarden who also played regular dodgeball. Impressed by our performance, they invited me to join the national indoor dodgeball tournament, which we won. This led to my first European Championship in Glasgow in 2017, and I've been completely hooked ever since.

Soon after, I invited Wouter and Bas to tournaments, and they quickly fell under the same spell. However, we lacked a consistent training location and group. In 2019, we decided to create a space where others could fall in love with dodgeball just as we had. Beyond the thrilling, dynamic sport itself, the community behind it is even more infectious.

We set out to make DCA a place where everyone could join and belong. No mandatory subscriptions or minimum training requirements, no high costs or other obligations. Bas even invested his own money into rent and expenses before we had steady income. We spread the word through personal connections—people bringing friends, and their friends bringing more friends. We faced challenges during COVID and saw significant changes in our membership, but we persevered in creating a space where players of every level and playstyle could learn, enjoy, and improve.

Over the years, we've witnessed incredible transformations—people making major improvements and even earning spots on the national team. Our core mission remains unchanged, but we've expanded our vision by offering both competitive and recreational teams. We provide technique training for all levels and tactical training for more experienced players, regardless of skill level. Dodgeball isn't solely about individual talent—it's a team sport, and there's no 'I' in team. Any three players can defeat a skilled opponent with solid strategy and teamwork. That's the beauty of it: the best players get hit, and the newest players make spectacular plays. Anything is possible at any moment. And since everyone is incredibly welcoming, they'll comfort you after that inevitable first-day headshot—it's a rite of passage we've all experienced. We've all been there, picked ourselves up with help from teammates, dusted ourselves off, and returned the next training session with new friends and teammates.

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Wouter

The Vision

My dodgeball journey started when my brother Pim invited me to join. Coming from a handball household, the transition felt natural and smooth. Once I grasped the rules and tactical depth of the game, I was completely captivated. After my second international tournament, Pim, Bas, and I decided we'd had enough of traveling for training—it was time to start our own club in Amsterdam. We dreamed of bringing together people who shared our passion for the game.

Starting over twice due to COVID restrictions, DCA finally began to flourish as more than just a project—it became a true club, a thriving community. When I compare those first few training sessions with our close friends to the professional organization we are today, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride. The club has grown far beyond the people who founded it.

Looking toward the future, I see a growing, loving, and enthusiastic community of friends, and I can't wait to discover where we'll be in another five years!