Iconic SV Kampong goalkeeper David Harte is set to move away from the club next season following 13 incredible years in Utrecht.
He was hailed as “the most important purchase ever” by long-time team mate Constantijn Jonker – with whom he won the EHL in 2016 – in an item with RTV Utrecht.
During his time at Kampong, he also won the Dutch title three times (2017, 2018 and 2024) as well as winning the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year gong twice.
Speaking to hockey.nl this week, he said it has been an incredible journey in the Netherlands, one which started with a two-year stint with SCHC after an “open letter” to Dutch clubs to see if anyone would take a chance on him.
“I sent this email to all the Hoofdklasse clubs as a young goalkeeper;” he said. “I really wanted to end up at a Dutch club, to develop myself in the best competition in the world.
“Of course, I never thought it would be this great. I have reread this email many times because I must never forget how it all started.”
Since then, he has become one of the most iconic figures in the club’s history, ingraining himself in the culture of the city. He subsequently got married in the cathedral in Utrecht while his two daughters were born in the Netherlands.
As such, it is with a heavy heart that he will move on, a decision made for family reasons.
“I told the club two months ago that I am not an option for next season’, says Harte. He clears his throat: “It hurt to say that. We are going to Belfast with our family, the city my wife Lyn comes from.
“This is the moment to make the move. My eldest daughter will go to primary school there next season.
“[Managing family life] was already a puzzle last year leading into the Olympic Games. Even longer away from home, even more arrangements.
“You know that I missed a few matches in the Pro League because we didn’t have a babysitter. You don’t want a situation like that to last too long. That’s why it’s good now. More space. More time together. And more family nearby.”
He now has Easter’s EHL to look ahead to in Den Bosch and the push for another Dutch championship with Kampong over the next two months.
“That would be wonderful. However it ends, I have made friends for life here. And that counts more for me than all the cups and titles put together.”