KNBSB publiceert jaarplanning met deadlines voor honkbal en softbalclubs

The calendar is the difference between a clean start and a scramble

For Dutch baseball and softball clubs, the KNBSB year planning is not background reading. It is the working map that keeps registrations, scheduling, and eligibility from colliding at the worst possible moment. The Afdeling Competitiezaken built it as a practical tool for wedstrijdsecretarissen and clubs that need to prepare properly, and the message is simple: the clubs that stay ahead of the calendar avoid the kind of late corrections that disrupt a whole season.

That matters because club life in Nederland is rarely just about the team sheet. Volunteers have to line up field use, parents need communication, sponsors expect clarity, and coaches need to know when squads are actually complete. A calendar with fixed deadlines gives those pieces one rhythm instead of a series of last-minute surprises.

Three season-start sessions set the tone for 2026

KNBSB backed up the written planning with three online season-start meetings for wedstrijdsecretarissen in the winter of 2025/2026. They took place on Monday 8 December 2025, Tuesday 9 December 2025, and Wednesday 10 December 2025, each running from 19:00 to 20:30 with digital walk-in from 18:45. That timing made the sessions a real preseason checkpoint, not a ceremonial update.

The agenda shows what clubs are expected to have under control before the first balls are thrown. KNBSB said the sessions covered the year planning and speeldagenkalenders, the reglement van wedstrijden and competitiebepalingen, team registrations, concept poule-indelingen, concept wedstrijdprogramma’s, wijzigingsverzoeken, inhaalmogelijkheden, and the use of DWF and Homeplate. In other words, this was the club admin briefing for everything that can go wrong if nobody is watching the deadlines.

The deadlines clubs need to pin down now

The sharpest date in the planning is the transfer period. KNBSB lists the overschrijving window for a playing member moving to another affiliated club as 15 October through 15 November. That is the kind of date that can affect eligibility, roster planning, and squad depth if it is missed or handled too late.

The same period is also important for clubs that need a closed class. If the wedstrijdprogramma has to take account of home games because of other club activities, requests for gesloten klassen can be submitted during that window. For clubs that juggle baseball or softball with other events, this is not a side note. It is one of the few formal ways to protect the home schedule before the season locks in.

KNBSB’s planning also points clubs toward the publication moments for rules, regulations, and competition documents, along with the time windows for requests. That includes the publication of the reglement van wedstrijden, competitiebepalingen, and programmes, plus the periods in which clubs can file requests. The practical takeaway is clear: if your club waits until the final roster meeting to think about these items, you are already late.

Where the competition picture is centralized

The KNBSB competition pages are designed as the central place for the live competition picture. They contain the latest information on poule-indelingen, wedstrijdprogramma’s, uitslagen, standen, statistieken, algemene competitie-informatie, wedstrijdbepalingen, and the assignments of bondsofficials. For anyone trying to keep a team, a schedule, and a league table aligned, that makes the competition page the first stop, not the last resort.

The 2026 speeldagenkalenders are also split by category, which helps clubs avoid mixing up the wrong level or format when they build their own planning. KNBSB publishes separate calendars for Honkbal Hoofdklasse and 1e Klasse, Softbal Gesloten klasse, Honkbal en Softbal 2e klasse en lager, Jeugdklassen, and Slowpitch Softbal 2026. That division is useful because the needs of a senior Hoofdklasse side are not the needs of a youth team, and the calendar reflects that reality instead of flattening everything into one generic overview.

One digital admin step clubs should not miss

The competition setup is getting more digital and more exact, and Club.KNBSB.app is part of that shift. KNBSB says the wedstrijdsecretaris role has to be assigned separately by the club administrator. If that role is not set correctly, the right person may not be in the right place to handle competition-related administration when the season starts moving.

That matters in a setup where competition information, registrations, adjustments, and official assignments are all tied together. Clubs that treat the role assignment as a formality risk creating a bottleneck before the first lineup is even submitted. Clubs that get it right early give their wedstrijdsecretaris a clean line into the system and reduce the chance of avoidable mistakes later on.

What the year planning really tells clubs to do

Taken together, the KNBSB year planning and the season-start meetings point to a single club habit: treat the competition calendar as an operating plan, not a reminder list. Mark the 15 October to 15 November transfer window, check the closed-class request period if your home schedule needs protection, and make sure the wedstrijdsecretaris role is correctly assigned in Club.KNBSB.app.

Just as important, keep the KNBSB competition pages close because they are where the league picture is updated with poule-indelingen, programme changes, results, standings, and official appointments. For clubs trying to start the 2026 season without unnecessary stress, the edge comes from doing the admin early, before the schedule starts deciding the season for you.