- Sports
- 01/04/2026
Indoor soccer players surprise everyone with high-level play
Student indoor soccer association Totelos received an award for its performance at the ESSF Sports Gala. It has been many years since Totelos last reached this level. This summer, a selection of the club will travel to the European Universities Championship.
The hierarchy in indoor soccer, from highest to lowest, is: premier division, first division, top class, head class, 1st class, 2nd class, 3rd class. In recent years, Totelos 1 (T1, the men’s team) consistently played in the top class, but last year the team was promoted to the first division. “We’re performing really well again this season,” says goalkeeper Axel Versloot. “In the first few months, we were still underestimated, but now we’ve put many (non-student) clubs in their place. Our opponents have started to respect us.”
According to Versloot, the club is exceeding expectations because Totelos players compensate for the higher individual quality of their opponents with disciplined play and tactical insight. “That’s the real TU/e way of playing,” he calls it.
What’s unique in Eindhoven is that you’re only allowed to keep playing for one year after graduating. At student sports associations in Groningen and Nijmegen, this is different—there, alumni can remain members for up to five years. Non-student clubs also have much less turnover than Totelos.
“Our selection is therefore far less stable; almost every year we start with a newly formed group. That’s why we’re so proud of our performance,” says Versloot. “It’s also quite unique that we, as players, are responsible for raising funds to cover the costs of playing in the first division. We look for sponsors and put in the work ourselves. For example, during every TU/e exam period, we earn money by setting up and dismantling the exam arrangements in the sports halls at the SSC.”
ESSF award
It’s not just Totelos’ first team performing at a high level. During the most recent sports gala, held on March 19 at Dynamo, the sports umbrella organization ESSF awarded the student indoor soccer association a glass trophy for “Best Performance.” Versloot explains: “Last season, our entire selection—consisting of three men’s teams—was promoted. T3 moved from 1st class to head class, T2 from head class to top class, and T1 from top class to first division. It’s exceptional for a student sports team to perform this well.”
The last time Totelos played in the first division was during the 2008/2009 season. “Our level has increased enormously since SSC staff member Aatef el Allouche became our head coach. As a former Totelos player, he’s very committed to us. That’s something we benefit from, although his role as head coach sometimes clashes with his role as association manager. As a coach, he occasionally has preferences for the selection that aren’t necessarily best for the association as a whole.”
A tough choice
El Allouche is currently facing a difficult decision regarding two upcoming tournaments. Should Totelos’ star players participate in the annual self-organized Ascension tournament, or should they preserve their knees for the European Universities Championship this summer?
By winning the GNSK (Dutch National Student Championship), Totelos qualified for the ESK (European Universities Championship), which will take place from July 15 to 25 in Salerno, southern Italy. A men’s and a women’s team will compete. “This summer, we’re traveling to Salerno with twelve men, eleven women, and three coaches. The goal is to perform better than during our previous participation in 2023.”
Versloot was the goalkeeper during that ESK in Split. “That was one of the coolest soccer experiences I’ve ever had. We learned so much there. We were a bit unlucky as well—we finished in seventeenth place. The level there is incredibly high.”
But first, there’s the IUTT—the open international indoor soccer tournament that Totelos organizes during Ascension in Eindhoven. Every Totelos member is eager to participate.
Prone to injuries
Unfortunately, a three-day tournament like this also has a downside. It involves alternating between short, intense matches and long waiting periods before the next game. That makes indoor soccer particularly prone to injuries. This was evident again during the last IUTT. “A player from our team tore his cruciate ligament, and our captain also suffered a serious knee injury. With that in mind, Aatef would prefer that the players going to Salerno don’t take risks during the IUTT.”
The selected players traveling to Salerno understand this well. “You don’t want to risk getting injured and missing the ESK. It’s an honor to represent Totelos there—we all feel that way. As a goalkeeper, I’m less prone to injury, and I’d really like to play in the IUTT as well.”
For the IUTT, the association will form teams with players from T2 and T3, with some reserve players from T1 available if needed. Axel Versloot will participate as goalkeeper.
Next year, T1 will once again play in the first division. On Friday, April 24, T1 will play its final match of the season against the league leader. Totelos is safe from relegation, and promotion is highly unlikely.
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.
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