Alkass Digital
Doha, Qatar: Al Shahania SC announced yesterday that the club has made a significant addition to their squad by signing Dutch midfielder Pelle van Amersfoort. The 28-year-old will join Al Shahania’s ranks from Dutch top-tier club SC Heerenveen and is expected to play a key role in the team’s campaign in the upcoming season.
In an official statement yesterday, Al Shahania Club said: “The contract with the Dutch player comes within the plan of the club’s Board of Directors, headed by Manahi Al Shammari, to strengthen the team’s ranks with the best players during the new season, to appear in the desired manner in the Ooredoo Star League.”
Van Amersfoort has had successful runs at SC Heerenveen, Cracovia, and Almere City, apart from short stints at several other clubs.
The former Netherlands youth star, who has represented the national team in the U17, U18, U19, U20, and U21 age groups, began his professional journey at SC Heerenveen’s youth academy, where he developed into a promising talent. He made his debut for Heerenveen in 2014 and made 159 appearances for his beloved club, scoring 28 goals during his stay.
He joined Cracovia in Poland in 2019, where he played a major role in the club’s title-winning run in the Polish Cup in the 2019-2020 season and the Polish Super Cup in 2020.
At Cracovia, Van Amersfoort has made 110 appearances in which he has scored 27 goals and made 11 assists.
The 6-foot-4-inch tall Van Amersfoort’s arrival at Al Shahania comes days after the club announced its contract with Lotfi Madjer, coming from Al Duhail, on loan for one season, and with Nayef Hamid, from Al Sadd for one season on loan.
Meanwhile, Al Shahania players have left Doha for a closed training camp in the Turkish city of Izmir, where they will train and play three friendly matches in preparation for the new season before returning to Doha on July 28.
Last season's league champions Al Sadd began their pre-season training in Malaga, Spain, yesterday, while QSL runners up Al Rayyan also kicked off their preparations in the Netherlands, .
Qatar SC also arrived in Alicante, Spain, for their pre-season camp, which will run until July 30. Qatar SC will play friendlies against several local teams, namely Club Costa City (July 17), Levante UD (July 20), CD Alcoyano (July 24), and Levante B (July 26), during their stay in Spain.