Niek Loohuis (, born 25 April 1986 in Losser) is a former Dutch

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who currently plays for

Quick '20 Quick '20 (short for Katholieke Voetbal Vereniging Quick 1920 , Eng.: Catholic Football Club Quick 1920) is a football club from Oldenzaal, Netherlands. The club was founded in 1920 and is currently playing in the Derde Divisie The Derde Divis ...

. He formerly played for SC Veendam and

SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherlands. History Sportclub Heerenveen was founded on 20 July ...

Career

Loohuis used to be a part of

FC Twente Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese Bo ...

's youth academy. The talent was declared unfit, for he did not meet the physical demands. Loohuis experienced growth problems and Twente had no other choice but to let him go. He went to amateur club

in Oldenzaal where he played until the age of 18. In Oldenzaal the youngster could play freely. Quick'20 played at the highest level of amateur football in the Netherlands at the time. Loohuis reckoned it was a good step in pursuing his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He got what he wanted. In 2005 two first division clubs showed interest:

FC Emmen FC Emmen is a Dutch football club based in Emmen, Drenthe. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2021–22 Eerste Divisie title. Founded in 1925, the club entered the professional Eerste Divisie in 1985. I ...

and BV Veendam. He chose the latter, where he played on amateur basis. A year and a half later he played 52 games for Veendam and scored four goals.

SC Heerenveen

His good performances did not go by unnoticed. Apart from Heerenveen, N.E.C.,

FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. G ...

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to th ...

and

showed interest in the talented midfielder. His sports agent Henk Nienhuis confirmed there were several scouts following him. Heerenveen immediately invited him to visit a match in the Abe Lenstra Stadium. He did not need much time to make his decision, and choose for Heerenveen. Gertjan Verbeek said Loohuis had made a lot of progress in one year. "Niek is a defensive midfielder that can also be used a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He is dynamical, has good

stamina Stamina may refer to: Biology and healthcare * Endurance, the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fat ...

and has a "good head". The twenty-year-old signed a three-year contract during the 2006/2007 winter

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...

with an option for another two years. The contract took effect in half a year later, meaning Loohuis could finish his season at the

De Langeleegte De Langeleegte () is a multi-use stadium in Veendam, Netherlands. It is currently not in use as it was the home stadium of SC Veendam Sportclub Veendam () was a Dutch professional association football club based in Veendam, province of Gron ...

, Veendam's home base.

Style

Loohuis is often compared to

Paul Bosvelt Paul Bosvelt (, born 26 March 1970) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who is technical director of Go Ahead Eagles. As a player he midfielder he notably played in the Eredivisie for FC Twente and Feyenoord and in the ...

. Both men are hard-working players on the midfield (and occasionally in the defense), are good at passing the ball and will do anything not to lose. The young man himself hopes to improve his physical strength, his duel power and his

agility Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's list of human positions, position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance (ability), balance, coordination (physiology), coordination ...

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Gertjan Verbeek is known for his emphasis on physical power, exactly the point Loohuis wants to improve himself. He hopes to learn from Heerenveen's experienced players.

, now retired, is his idol.

References

External links

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Niek Loohuis: Talent over transfer naar Heerenveen (Video interview)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loohuis, Niek 1986 births Living people People from Losser Dutch footballers Association football midfielders SC Veendam players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players SC Heerenveen players Quick '20 players Footballers from Overijssel