Haarlem, Feb. 12, 2023 – The organizing committee of Baseball Week Haarlem has appointed Peter van der Aart as president of Baseball Week Haarlem. He thus succeeds President Guus van Dee, who resigned in the fall of 2022.
Haarlem native Van der Aart is no stranger to the Dutch baseball and softball world. Starting in the 1990s, as president of the Schalkwijk-based DSC ’74, he was actively involved in the organization of numerous tournaments, coached the women’s squad and guided the club through the merger that led to the creation of Olympia Haarlem. In 2014, the now 59-year-old sports lawyer chaired the World Softball Championship hosted in Haarlem. Van der Aart is also currently a board member at the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) and is responsible for association sports softball and legal affairs.
Tournament Director Léon Ravestein: “The successful 30th edition in 2022 has revealed many challenges. Organizing an event of this magnitude is almost a volunteer task in this day and age. Expertise in various specific areas is indispensable. With Peter as the new chairman, we believe we have brought in the right person at the right time. With his expertise, passion and knowledge of our event, he can take the organization of the tournament forward, bringing together an eye for the DNA of Baseball Week and the desires that come with organizing a large-scale event in today’s times. We want to keep moving with the times. Peter can also make a nice contribution to that”.
Former president Guus van Dee is confidently handing over the gavel to van der Aart: “I am proud that in the past five years we have established a Baseball Week that is financially healthy. Peter is in my eyes the ideal successor. He has rich experience as an organizer and under his leadership the Baseball Week will take new steps towards a successful future.”
The biennial Haarlem Baseball Week will be played in the summer of 2024, from July 12 to 19. The organizing committee is now in the process of approaching possible participating teams.
Follow Baseball Week through the website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Photo: Renata Jansen