Frequently Asked Questions

Not at all! We have a wide range of skill levels in our association. From absolute beginners who have never played before to players with 10+ years of experience. We have a coach that can teach you the basics as well as advanced skills.

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 differences 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 activities for its members on a regular basis

• We also organize several parties every year, not the least of which is our CoBo. This year is also 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. For more information, check out our Competition page

• After Tuesday training, we usually get a nice post workout drink at the most HEEPish pub in town, Café Heugemerveld. It's a great opportunity to get to know your fellow HEEPers a bit better!

• 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. If you’re new to Badminton, don’t have your equipment with you yet, or just 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 you purchase your own racket if you decide to become a member. This is because we only have a limited supply of rackets. You will also improve much quicker if you use the same racket. Our trainer always has a few rackets with him that you can test and purchase from him for a fair price if you are happy with one of them.

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 against different opponents apart from your fellow HEEPers. For more information, check out our Competition page.

HEEP organizes several fun activities next to training throughout the academic year. Some of our past activities include a Nations dinner, Movie nights, Pool, Christmas events 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 all about making friends and creating memories that last a lifetime, both on and off court. You can check out our Activities page for more information or reach out to our Head of Activities (accie@heep.nl).

You can buy shuttles from HEEP. Please check out the Heep Services page for prices and information about our other services.

HEEP has around 75 members at any given moment. This can vary from semester to semester. The majority of our members are internationals, which offers a great opportunity to get to known people from all over the world!

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 racket 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 own drink. This is referred to as the “Buffalo rule”. If a person really does not want to down their drink, they are given grace.