At Vamos Stekene–Sint-Gillis-Waas, and in fact across the country, nobody can ignore it anymore. The club has just completed an exceptional season. In this East Flemish border municipality, a remarkable success story has been written. Whether in indoor or beach volleyball, youth development or the first teams, the club has delivered results everywhere.

International class on the sand
Beach volleyball was firmly in the spotlight last summer. Kyan Vercauteren and Simone Vervloet, both former Vamos players, made their mark both nationally and internationally. A series of strong performances has kept their Olympic ambitions alive.

Together with his beach partner Joppe Van Langendonck, Vercauteren won the international FIVB event in Bhubaneswar and took bronze on the World Tour in Xiamen. At the Masters Finals in Nieuwpoort, they were crowned Belgian champions and named Most Valuable Team.
Simone Vervloet did not lag behind. She won bronze at the U18 European Championship and the U19 World Championship. Together with Lente Thant, she claimed silver at the Belgian Championship, which earned them the Team of the Year award. Vervloet was also named Rookie of the Year.

Meanwhile, Seppe and Jente De Keyser — the latter captain of Men’s 1 — remain reliable forces. The brothers have been part of Belgium’s beach volleyball elite for nine years.

Reaping rewards indoors
Indoors, it became clear just how deep the club’s sporting roots now run. Women’s 2 and Women’s 4 won their respective titles. Women’s 1 won the Moorthamer Trophy and, after finishing third in National 1 — level with the Topsportschool of Vilvoorde — earned promotion to the League.
At the East Flemish cup finals in the Den Dulpop sports hall in Bazel, it became even clearer that both the youth and senior programmes at Stekene–Sint-Gillis-Waas are flourishing. Vamos had eight teams in the finals and returned home with six gold medals.

“It was indeed a historic season,” a proud board said at the press presentation of the women’s and men’s teams. “Vamos has 24 teams in total and we try to be there for everyone, with sound and targeted support. The former Pardaf Kruibeke, later PNV Waasland and Gimme Waasland, was for years the strongest club in the region. I think we have now taken over that role. The successes do not lie, but we know we still have to work hard to confirm all of this.”

Balance and renewal
Continuity within the different teams remains an important asset. In the men’s team, captain Tim Degruyter is stepping down, while former international Yves Kruyner takes over from Jiri Vermeulen as coach. He is a man who has helped build the success of the men’s team.
Main attacker Lou Kindt is a notable name in the Vamos squad, while Yorre Vercauteren — yes, his brother — is by far the youngest player in the team. A promising talent.

The men did not begin the competition as they had hoped. Vamos also narrowly missed out on a prestige fixture in the round of 16 of the Belgian Cup. The club would have loved to host Greenyard Maaseik in the Stekene sports hall, but was eliminated in the previous round. On Sunday afternoon, 1 November, Mendo Booischot B will therefore have the opportunity to take on the Limburg champions.
For the women, coach Nico De Clercq has moved to Dok Noord Gent. Meino Rozendal took things more quietly last season as assistant coach, but this year he will fully commit himself again to keeping his players in the highest volleyball division.

“We play a lot of derbies,” says the Dutch coach. “There are twelve teams in the League. I see that as an advantage, because there are more opportunities to get results. The step up to the top division is naturally quite big for my team and for the board. We see it as a challenge, a substantial one. Higher demands are made regarding accommodation and equipment, and there is livestreaming. In short, the licence requirements are stricter. But Stekene has a beautiful, large sports hall. This is a big club. We will make it work.”
On Saturday, the Vamos women will celebrate their League debut and hope to give the Antwerp Ladies a warm welcome. In a month’s time, the Stekene team will play its first Belgian Cup match away at Waregem. A win would be followed by a meeting with Bevo Roeselare or Tchalou Volley. The excitement is already growing.

Text: Walter Vereeck
Photo: Vamos Stekene