Benalmádena trust Dekeyser to return them to hockey's elite

Eight games away from the end of the División de Honor B (the second tier in Spanish hockey), RH Privé Benalmádena still have a fair chance of being promoted to the country's elite division, where they previously played for three seasons (2010-2013), becoming the first Andalusian club to play at this level. Veteran striker, Jerome Dekeyser (Anderlecht, 1983), with fifteen goals in twelve games, the top scorer in the division, is the leader the club is hoping will bring the team back to the top. However, things have become more complex after the departure of another star player and multiple injuries.

"It's not easy. We have two new guys with experience, Roberto and Pablo Antón - who are joined by Pablo Santiago, who comes from Cadiz, but we've played two games with them and it's proving difficult for the team to gel. Also, Dimitri Kools is slightly injured and Máximo Pizarro, for educational commitments, has gone to Madrid. The next two weeks will be crucial," he said.

What is Dekeyser doing in a team in the Spanish second division? "It was a family decision (he has two young daughters) to move here. It's a new chance for me, one that allows me to live on the Costa del Sol and to continue playing hockey," he admitted. "I've been working as a freelancer for a [Belgian] estate agent, and on Facebook I saw that there was a hockey club in Benálmadena. The truth is it felt very familiar, I liked the atmosphere and the surroundings," he commented.

Playing in a lower division isn't something new for Dekeyser. He played for a Dutch side who were in the third division, and guided them to becomimg a top five team. He also played in New Zealand and trained the Leuven (Belgium) women's team for a decade. Now that he's in Spain, he appreciates some differences. "I think the national team's results changed the image of hockey in Belgium. There were two Olympic medals won and licences [to play hockey] went from 15,000 to 50,000 in just fifteen years. In Spain, hockey isn't in a bad place, but football is watched more and padel is also very popular. I think the top eight teams in my country are better than their rivals in Spain. Spain's top four could compete in the Belgian league, that's true, and the Division de Honor B, is similar to the one in Belgium."

At RHP Benalmádena, Dekeyser has found a club willing to grow, but there are aspects that need more analysis. "I think the club is on the right path. There's a good coach, and a lot of young players have been brought in to train with us, and that's good, but a new pitch is needed. At the Barcelona clubs (where most of the elite teams are based) the facilities are better, and the ball bounces a lot more," he explained, referring to Benalmádena's pitch, which has had 15 years of use. However, there is a tender out for the renovation of the surface.

A squad restructure would be key for the challenge of anelite division."To be promoted would be an amazing experience, but we don't want to have a year in which we lose all our games," the striker warned. It's important to remember that there are two automatic promotion places and a third one for the play-off tie. RHP Benalmádena are in fourth place, but their real place in the table is third because of a B team who are ahead of them and won't get promoted.

With fifteen goals scored in twelve games played, will his tally continue growing?: "It's a difficult question," he answered, making it clear that he wants to improve the count. "My objective is thirty. I know it's a lot, but it's possible. The important thing is the team and winning," adding that he has had eight assists. "In the first half of the season I connected well with a lot of players. I need to give more. I didn't like our most recent defeat (the loss to Sant Cugat on 13 March)."

Dekeyser also doesn't clarify whether he'll continue with the team for more seasons. "It's tough. I have a new house, in Estepona, 35 minutes away and we train in the evenings and at night. My body tells me I have three of four years of hockey left in me," he explained. Everyone at the club knows he's in great shape, as he trains for hockey and also does cross-fit. "Without my daughters, I would play for another ten years," he quipped.

For the rest of players at RHP Benalmádena, it's a luxury to have Dekeyser as a teammate. Club captain Borja Wücherpfennig openly admitted to this. "It's a privilege, it's the same as when we had Vila, on both a sporting and leadership level, given what he can do," he said. "Our group is quite young and we have never had the chance to learn or play with people of such a high level and with this kind of input. Also, we've always had the sporting handicap of lacking a goalscorer to raise our level, and he covers that to perfection. As well as scoring, he has a lot of personality at the front and he helps the rest out when [it comes to] pressing and communicating," he added.