Robbert Kemperman

{{Infobox field hockey player

| name = Robbert Kemperman

| image = Robbert kemperman-1641829690.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = Robbert Huib Kemperman

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|6|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nijmegen, Netherlands

| height = 1.86 m

| weight = 76 kg

| position = Defender / Midfielder

| currentclub = Amsterdam

| youthyears1 = 1995–2005

| youthclubs1 = Union

| youthyears2 = 2005–2008

| youthclubs2 = Den Bosch

| years1 = 2005–2010

| clubs1 = Den Bosch

| years2 = 2010–2012

| clubs2 = Rot-Weiss Köln

| years3 = 2012–2022

| clubs3 = Kampong

| years4 = 2019

| clubs4 = UniKL

| years5 = 2022–present

| clubs5 = Amsterdam

| nationalyears1 = 2008–2021

| nationalteam1 = Netherlands

| nationalcaps1 = 228

| nationalgoals1 = 52

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|the {{NED}}}}

}}

Robbert Huib Kemperman ({{IPA|nl|ˈrɔbərt ˈkɛmpərmɑn}}; born 24 June 1990) is a Dutch field hockey player who plays as a midfielder or defender for Hoofdklasse club Amsterdam.{{cite web |title=Robbert Kemperman |url=https://hockey.nl/held/robbert-kemperman/ |work=hockey.nl |language=nl |access-date=2017-08-31}}

He played a total of 228 matches for the Dutch national team and scored 52 goals. He played in three Olympic Games and three World Cups.

International career

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed for the national team in the men's tournament, where he won a silver medal.{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/hockey/event/men/teams/team=netherlands-hom400ned01/|title=Men's Hockey: Netherlands|publisher=London2012.com|access-date=1 August 2012|archive-date=1 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801005254/http://www.london2012.com/hockey/event/men/teams/team=netherlands-hom400ned01/|url-status=dead}} He made his debut for the national team in 2008, and at just 17 years and 111 days of age he is the second-youngest debutant ever in Dutch national hockey team.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

In 2018, Kemperman played in his third World Cup, where they won the silver medal. Due to his decision to play in the 2019 Malaysia Hockey League, he was not selected for the 2019 Pro League.{{cite web |title=Caldas: Verga en Kemperman naar Maleisië, geen Pro League |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/oranje/caldas-verga-en-kemperman-naar-maleisie-geen-pro-league/ |website=hockey.nl |access-date=8 April 2019 |language=nl |date=8 January 2019}} After the 2019 EuroHockey Championships he returned in the national team for the FIH Olympic Qualifier against Pakistan.{{cite web |title=Hockeyers Verga en Kemperman dromen na 'reset' weer van goud bij de Spelen van Tokio |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/hockeyers-verga-en-kemperman-dromen-na-reset-weer-van-goud-bij-de-spelen-van-tokio~bdbb43d6/ |website=volkskrant.nl |access-date=21 March 2020 |language=nl |date=15 September 2019}} In June 2023 he announced he would retire from the national team after not having played internationally since the 2020 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |last1=Borcherts |first1=Reemt |title=Laatste hoofdstuk van Kempi: ‘Kwam erachter dat ik Oranje niet miste’ |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/oranje/laatste-hoofdstuk-van-kempi-kwam-erachter-dat-ik-oranje-niet-miste/ |website=hockey.nl |publisher=Hockey.nl |access-date=17 October 2023 |language=nl |date=2 June 2023}}

Club career

Born in Nijmegen, he started playing hockey when he was 5 at the local hockey club RKHV Union. In 2005 he went to HC 's-Hertogenbosch where he made his debut for the first team when he was just 15 years old. After his years at 's-Hertogenbosch, he went to Rot-Weiss Köln in Germany in 2010.{{cite web |title=Keeper Vivaldi verlaat Den Bosch |url=https://www.nu.nl/sport-overig/2310300/keeper-vivaldi-verlaat-bosch.html |website=nu.nl |access-date=21 March 2020 |language=nl |date=11 August 2010}} He played there for two seasons before returning to the Netherlands, where he joined SV Kampong. In 2016 he won the 2015–16 Euro Hockey League with Kampong and then won two consecutive Dutch national titles in 2017 and 2018. In the winter of 2019, he played in Malaysia for UniKL in the Malaysia Hockey League.

In December 2021 it was announced he would leave Kampong after ten seasons and play for Amsterdam from the summer of 2022 onwards.{{cite web |title=Hockeyer Kemperman ruilt na tien seizoenen Kampong in voor Amsterdam |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2410637-hockeyer-kemperman-ruilt-na-tien-seizoenen-kampong-in-voor-amsterdam |website=nos.nl |publisher=NOS |access-date=4 January 2022 |language=nl |date=23 December 2021}} During the disappointing 2023–24 season, he was placed as a defender where he kept playing. The season afterwards, he won his third national title by defeating his old club Kampong in the championship final.{{cite web |last1=Borcherts |first1=Reemt |title=De kroon op Kempermans carrière: ‘Ze zijn nog niet van mij af’ |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/tulp-hoofdklasse-heren/de-kroon-op-kempermans-carriere-ze-zijn-nog-niet-van-mij-af/ |website=hockey.nl |publisher=Hockey.nl |access-date=30 May 2025 |language=nl |date=30 May 2025}}

Personal life

Kemperman is in a relationship with former Dutch field hockey international Sophie Polkamp.{{cite web |last1=van Nugteren |first1=Marco |title=Robbert Kemperman: 'Parijs zit nog steeds in mijn achterhoofd' |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/tulp-hoofdklasse-heren/robbert-kemperman-parijs-zit-nog-steeds-in-mijn-achterhoofd/ |website=hockey.nl |access-date=4 January 2022 |language=nl |date=4 January 2022}}