Van Lint Week 2025 took place from 15th to 18th of december at the Student Sports Centre in Eindhoven. During this annual sports festival, student teams compete in dozens of sports from volleyball and basketball to the more chaotic multiball and knotsball. Our association joined with a motivated (and occasionally still hungover) group of athletes, ready to give it their all. Here’s how we experienced this unforgettable week.

Monday — A Strong Start
The week kicked off with multiball and volleyball. Even though we didn’t have many players, we absolutely dominated multiball, winning every match by a huge margin and securing a spot in the finals. Volleyball was a bit less successful but still full of fun moments, with Daan (La2) scoring point after point like a true MVP.

In the evening, ESSF hosted a music bingo with great songs and fun prizes. Somehow Jasmijn (La1 and Board) managed to win almost everything. After bingo, we hung out with each other and with other Van Lint participants. A great start to the week, and it set the tone for what was coming.

Tuesday — Chaos, Knotsball, and Canteen Takeover
Tuesday brought knotsball and 3v3 basketball. For those wondering what knotsball is: imagine field hockey, but with a giant foam club. We had an amazing team that even managed to beat an actual hockey team at their own sport, they relied on technique, we relied on smashing the ball as hard as possible. Due to an organisational mistake we didn’t make the finals, but after they realised the error, we still received the first‑place prize (3 pitchers).

Basketball was next. With 12 players (yes, 9 substitutes), enthusiasm was high. Skill levels varied… a lot. One board member attempted to launch an opponent across the hall and then stormed off to drink beer in the canteen. Despite the chaos, we still won one out of five games and somehow ended up in the finals. The evening ended with us turning the SSC canteen upside down with beers and video games.

Wednesday — Rugby Glory and Archery Tag Disaster
Wednesday featured Tag Rugby and Archery Tag. Luckily, Tag Rugby went extremely well, thanks to star players Vincent (P1) and Lucia (La1), who actually knew the rules, and we reached the finals.

Archery Tag, however… was a different story. We had three hours of free time between sports, which apparently was enough for some people to get a little too enthusiastic with drinks. The result: arrows flying everywhere, strange helmets, and a very entertained audience. Afterward, the sports canteen was buzzing with gezelligheid. Some P3 players challenged our board members to endless fingering games, and a few people may or may not have ended up in the city. What happened there remains a mystery. Or does it…

Thursday — Finals Day and the Grand Finale
Thursday was the big day: finals day. At 18:30 we started with the tag rugby finals. We were also supposed to play squash at the same time, but since rugby finals meant the chance to win beer, we made the logical choice (sorry Kathie and Mick). We played incredibly well and reached the final two but unfortunately lost to a team we had already beaten twice earlier in the week. No beer for us yet.

Next came the multiball and basketball finals, which were scheduled simultaneously. We split the team strategically. Basketball was tough, as we faced a team full of actual basketball players, but our team still had fun. Multiball was the one we were most excited about after Monday’s easy wins, but let’s just say Wednesday night’s drinks didn’t help our performance. Totelos refereed and tried to help by giving us lots of football rounds, but even then our football skills were… questionable. Best not to talk about it too much.
The final party made up for everything. We celebrated, drank, laughed, and enjoyed the last evening together. After an intense week, our athletes finally headed home to rest.
A huge thank‑you to everyone who joined, supported, and cheered for us throughout the week. The board had an amazing time and we hope you did too. Special shout‑out to Christine (La1), who was there every single day and gave her all in every sport. We hope to see all of you again next year!

This week, SSC is hosting an open week, and we’re, of course, participating as well. During the week of September 2nd, everyone is welcome to join our training sessions without prior registration! After this week, you are still welcome to join a training session, but please send an email to bestuur@pusphaira.nl to sign up.

The training times are as follows:

Men: Monday (6:30 PM – 8:00 PM) and three blocks on Wednesday (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM, and 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM).
Women: Tuesday (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM) and Thursday (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM).
The location is the artificial field at the De Hondsheuvels sports complex.

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Peter Kivits, one of the founding members of Pusphaira. He passed away on June 18, 2024.

Peter’s history with Pusphaira began in 1965 during his initiation period at student association Demos. Peter, along with Paul Verhagen, Pi Jonkers, and Paul van Exel, was tasked with establishing a football club. On October 12, 1965, the founding GMM of Pusphaira was held at the Demos society on Willemstraat.

On the left you see Peter during Pusphaira’s first GMM.

Peter served as a board member during it’s first season, in which they immediately became champions. After the first season, he, together with Prof. Dr. Van Lint managed to appoint Peter’s brother as (head) trainer. This required quite some ingenuity on their part, as in those days only students were allowed to be trainers for student associations.

In 1967, Peter Kivit’s Mother created our first flag, a green and blue banner.

Peter’s passion for Pusphaira remained throughout his life. During the old board reunion last fall, he filled the canteen with his energy and ideas for Pusphaira’s 60th anniversary. Sadly, Peter will not witness this milestone, though his spirit and contributions will forever be a part of this club.

Our deepest condolences go out to Peter’s family and friends.

Rest in peace, Peter Kivits.

ESVV Pusphaira is delighted to announce Jeffrey Henderson’s transition to Permanent Head Trainer of Pusphaira 1.

With a UEFA B license and experience as trainer at Lommel SK and PSV’s soccer school, Henderson’s credentials are impressive. As ladies 3 trainer last year, he showed his tactical depth and ability to inspire young adults.

After his appointment as interim trainer, the first men’s team has seen significant improvements in performance, cohesion, and competitive spirit. We were impressed with his extensive tactical preparation of the players during the winter break. The organizational changes we made on his suggestion have improved focus and discipline in the first and second team. And, as is important for every trainer, he has a good relationship with the players and a good grasp on the vibe within the group.

We are excited for the continued impact Jeffrey will have on the selection and the club as we move forward with confidence and ambition.

Please join us in congratulating Jeffrey Henderson on his contract extension and in wishing him continued success in his role.

Sincerely,

The 59th Board of ESVV Pusphaira

Next week, SSC is hosting an open week, and we’re, of course, participating as well. During the week of February 19th, everyone is welcome to join our training sessions without prior registration! After this week, you are still welcome to join a training session, but please send an email to bestuur@pusphaira.nl to sign up.

The training times are as follows:

• Lower Men: Monday (6:30 PM – 7:00 PM) and three blocks on Wednesday (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM, and 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM).
• Women: Tuesday (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM) and Thursday (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM).

The location is the artificial  field at the De Hondsheuvels sports complex.

We regret to inform you that Dylan Leermakers will no longer be serving as the Head Trainer of our first men’s team. We want to thank him for his efforts during his term and wish him well in his future endeavors.

Jeffrey Henderson, currently a trainer within the youth departments of PSV and Lommel SK and former trainer of our ladies 3, will take up Dylan’s duties as interim Head Trainer.

We are confident that under Jeffrey’s management we can bring back stability and positive competitive results to Men’s 1 while we look for a permanent arrangement for next season.

Sincerely,

The 59th Board of ESVV Pusphaira

This week, SSC is hosting an open week, and we’re, of course, participating as well. During the week of September 11th, everyone is welcome to join our training sessions without prior registration! After this week, you are still welcome to join a training session, but please send an email to bestuur@pusphaira.nl to sign up.

The training times are as follows:

• Lower Men: Monday (6:30 PM – 7:00 PM) and three blocks on Wednesday (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM, and 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM).
• Women: Tuesday (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM) and Thursday (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM).

The location is the artificial  field at the De Hondsheuvels sports complex.

The open week from the SSC is from the 6th of September until the 10th of September. This means all students are welcome to join one of the training sessions. A sports card is not required. The training times can be found here!

Visit the website of the SSC for more info about the open week.