Frequently Asked Questions

No not at all, we have a wide range of skill levels in our association. From absolute beginners who have never played before to 10+ years experienced players. We have a coach that can learn you the basics all the way to advanced skills practices.

To become a proud member of HEEP you need both a HEEP membership and a UM SPORTS membership. You can register at the Sign Up! page.

There is quite a lot of difference between HEEP and UM SPORTS training

• Training at UM SPORTS is just casual play. At HEEP we have a trainer/coach that will teach you the proper techniques. Our coach is very experienced so even if you’re an experienced player you can still learn a lot during our training sessions!

• HEEP organizes activies on a regular basis.

• We also organize several parties every year, not the least of which is our CoBo. And this year is our Lustrum year, celebrated with a party for all members, new and old.

• If you’re a member of HEEP you’ll have 3 additional training opportunities during the week next to the UM SPORTS open badminton training, which offers 2 open training sessions.

• HEEP has a competition team that you can join. Check out, FAQ – Does HEEP have a competion team?

• Usually at least once a week after training we go to a local pub to get a nice post workout drink at the most HEEPish pub in town, Café Paulus. A great opportunity to get to know your fellow HEEPers a bit better.

• But the biggest thing is that you’ll be a member of a proud and humble association where you meet new people that like to play badminton but also like to meet up after training.

A HEEP membership costs:

• Per semester €25,-

• Full year €45,-

You’ll also need a UM Membership subscription (also check out: FAQ – How do I become a member?)

Yes it’s absolutely possible to borrow a racket from HEEP. So if you’re new to badminton, don’t have your equipment yet in Maastricht, or for some other reason don’t have a racket available you can borrow one of the HEEP rackets. We also offer plastic and feather shuttles to use during training.

We do recommend that if you become a member that you will get your own racket. This is because we only have a limited supply of rackets, and next to that you will improve more quickly if you use the same racket.

Since 2019, HEEP has had a competition team that plays in a regional, recreational competition where teams who play badminton for fun, compete. Anyone who enjoys playing matches and is excited to gain some more experience is welcome to join the team! A team ideally consists of 3 girls and 3 guys. We play approximately twice a month, mostly on weekdays. And after we’ve exhausted ourselves on court, we like to sit back and enjoy a drink together with the opponents. It is a great opportunity to gain experience and play different opponents than your fellow HEEPers.

During the academic year HEEP organizes several fun activities next to training. Some past activities to give you an idea about what HEEP is about; Nationsdinner, Movie night, Beer and Wine tasting, Pooling, Cantus, Scavengershunt, Christmas event and many more! The big plus is that we’ll offer you opportunities to get to know new people next to just practicing badminton on court. For HEEP it’s about creating memory’s that last a lifetime, on and off court. For more information about the activities check our Activities page of reach out to our head of activities (accie@heep.nl).

Yes you can, please check out the Heep Services page about prices and our other services.

HEEP has around 75 members at any given moment. This varies from semester to semester. The majority of our members are internationals, which offers a great opportunity to make your skills known world wide!

The Buffalo rule is a HEEP tradition which goes as follows: Whenever a person in company of 2 or more HEEP members during a HEEP event – this also includes casual drinks – drinks an alcoholic beverage with their dominant hand, and any other HEEP member calls them out on it, the person in question must down their drink. However, if the person calling out is wrong (if the person in question is, for example, left-handed), they have to down their drink. This is referred to as the “Buffalo rule”. If a person really does not want to down their drink, they are given grace.