An amateur Dutch football team were greeted at training by a whole host of fans letting off fireworks at 5am. Quick Boys, who play in the third tier of the Dutch pyramid, received the unusual training ground welcome on Thursday morning.
There has been an escalating healthcare crisis in the Netherlands in recent weeks due to high numbers of positive coronavirus cases.
And prime minister Mark Rutte has introduced a wave of new restrictions in order to get the situation under control.
Amateur clubs in the country have now been banned from training between 5pm and 5am.
That meant Quick Boys had to fit in an early-morning session before their players went to work.
When the players took to the training pitch shortly after arriving, a plethora of fans had turned up.
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Quick Boys currently find themselves in 10th place in the Jack’s League, with 18 points.
The side have won five league matches this season and have also played out three draws.
The club play at the Sportpark Nieuw Zuid, which is based in Katwijk, in south Holland.
Quick Boys were defeated 3-1 by Sparta Rotterdam under-21s on Saturday and haven’t won since their 2-0 victory over Scheveningen at the start of November.
The team were due to host Jack’s League table-toppers Katwijk in a local derby this Saturday, but the match has been postponed due to the latest restrictions.
Further up the Dutch football pyramid, evening training sessions and sports matches for professional athletes are allowed to continue, although fans haven’t been able to attend matches since mid-November.
Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt came through the Quick Boys youth system before signing for FC Utrecht in 1998.
Kuyt went on to win 104 caps for the Netherlands before ending his career with Quick Boys after leaving Feyenoord.
“We thought and hoped to be rid of most of the measures by the summer,” said Rutte as he announced the latest coronavirus restrictions.
“But the reality is very different – in healthcare it is all hands on deck again.”
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