Belhamel: The Podcast

Episode One:

Belhamel, the Trickster

"In the 1920’s, one of the biggest and most beloved football clubs in Europe was AFC Ajax of Amsterdam. In September of 1922, Ajax introduced an exciting new player, a twenty year old named Eddy Hamel, plucked from a rival Amsterdam team to serve as Ajax’s new right winger."

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This episode recounts Eddy's birth in New York City and his family's sudden return to his parent's homeland shortly thereafter. It recalls his impressive career as a football player for several prestigious clubs in Amsterdam, including eight seasons with Ajax, and his equally successful decade as one of the most accomplished Dutch coaches of the 1930's. The episode also mentions how Eddy's fate may have been different if he'd played for his birth country's football teams in either the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, or the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay. Scroll down for more content.

Eddy Hamel's Birth Certificate

Eddy Hamel's birth certificate, issued by the State of New York in 1902. Eddy's parents, Mozes and Eva, are listed. In addition to proving Eddy's American citizenship, this document also confirms that Eddy's name was Edward, and not "Eduard" as often appeared in Dutch newspaper articles of the day.

Eddy Hamel's Birthplace

Eddy Hamel's birthplace, an apartment in the Yorkville neighborhood of New York's Upper East Side. The apartment was the home of Mozes' sister. The newlyweds stayed here for two years, during which time their first child, Edward Hamel, was born.

Hamel Family Registration Card

The Hamel "Gezinskaart" ("Family Card") in the City Registry of Amsterdam. (Date unknown.) The registry shows parents Mozes and Eefje, and all four children, Edward, Hendrika, Estella and Celina. This record confirms that only Eddy was born in New York. His three younger sisters were all born in Amsterdam.

Source: City Archives of Amsterdam

Early Ajax, in Laanweg

The first known photo of Ajax, playing in Laanweg, in Amsterdam North, in 1906. From 1900 to 1910, Ajax played in alternating vertical stripes. But when they were promoted to the First Division in in 1911, they had to change their shirts to not conflict with Sparta of Rotterdam, who were already playing in vertical red and white stripes. A few Ajax players had come from the recently disbanded club VVV, who played in shirts with one thick red stripe down the middle. They brought these shirts to Ajax, and that's what the team have worn ever since.

Source: AFC Ajax

The Wooden Stadium

Het Houten Stadion ("The Wooden Stadium") hosts a match between Ajax and Sparta in 1918. This is the entrance from Middenweg. Behind the tribune is a several-meter-high billboard of a football player which served as an advertisement for the magazine Revue der Sporten. On this day, a victory over Sparta brought Ajax the championship in the First Division West A. They went on to win the overall national title, after which the stadium was increased to accommodate the up-tick in demand, especially from the capital city's Jewish population. Despite those improvements, the Wooden Stadium was often too small to accommodate the massive crowds that came to see Ajax play.

Source: AFC Ajax

Ajax Team

1926: (1) Jan Schoevaart, (2) Jan Grootmeijer, (3) Han Dade, (4) Frans Schoevaart, (5) Simon Tump, (6) Maarten Smit, (7) Frans Couton (player), (8) Jack Reynolds, (9) André de Kruijff (player), (10) Jan de Boer, (11) Joop Martens (player), (12) Dolf van Kol (player), (13) Jan van Heeswijk (goalkeeper), (14) Fons Pelser (player), (15) Jan van Oudheusden, (16) Willem Egeman, (17) Joop Pelser, (18): Joop Cluwen (linesman), (19) Eddy Hamel, (20) Wim Volkers, (21) Frans Rutte, (22) Theo Brokmann (chasing the ball), (23) Jan de Natris.

Source: AFC Ajax

1927: Eddy Hamel is kneeling at viewer's left.

Source: AFC Ajax

1927: Eddy Hamel, standing third from left, after winning the Division Championship.

Source: Amsterdam Archives (OSIM00007000681)

Eddy's Loyal Fans

How do we know that Eddy Hamel had a cadre of loyal fans who stood along the touchline, singing his nickname and switching sides at halftime? I first learned this detail in David Winner's excellent book Brilliant Orange, published in 2000.

"In the 1920s Ajax’s American-born Jewish right-winger had his own fan club. The Hamel connoisseurs would assemble on the strip between the halfway line and the corner-flag to watch their man in the first half, and then switch to the opposite corner of the stadium at halftime." (p.130)

This description of Eddy's loyal fans singing his nickname has appeared in news articles at the time.

Jack Reynolds and Bob Glendenning

Jack Reynolds of Ajax (L) and Bob Glendenning of the Dutch National team (R), the two influential British coaches who helped to shape Eddy as both a player and a coach, turning him into a world class footballer, and giving him the tools and knowledge to become a top Dutch football coach after his playing career ended.

Source: Wikipedia

Tobacco Cards

This Eddy Hamel Tobacco Card ( front and back) was issued by the Anglo-American Cigarette Co. in Eindhoven NL in 1924. Tobacco cards were collectibles, essentially the same as American baseball cards, except that instead of being sold with a stick of gum, these cards were distributed in packs of cigarettes.