ABOUT US
Empower was started in 2019 by Rolf van de Kerkhof. Empower’s goals for field hockey are to:
- grow the game in the Delaware region,
- elevate the caliber of the play locally, and
- encourage life-long love of sport and its benefits.
- grow the game in the Delaware region,
- elevate the caliber of the play locally, and
- encourage life-long love of sport and its benefits.
”We will utilize field hockey to develop you as a person and along the way, you will improve, grow and enrich your experiences as a player, teammate and member of something bigger than yourself.“
Empower Founder and Head Coach
Empower coaches believe in:
Empower periodically brings in Guest Coaches to assist with Empower Club and Empower Academy programs. These talented experts include current and former collegiate, international, and professional coaches and players.
ROLF VAN DE KERKHOF
Empower Founder and Technical Director
Coach Rolf van de Kerkhof has an impressive career in coaching and playing field hockey, though we know him as the founder, technical director and master clinician for Empower Field Hockey.
As the head coach of the University of Delaware Field Hockey team from 2010-2024, Rolf led the team to victory in ten out of 12 CAA championships, including an NCAA National Championship in 2016. That year he was also named the NFHCA National Coach of the Year. Before joining the UD Blue Hens, Rolf was the head field hockey coach at Michigan State University.
Coach Rolf grew up in the Netherlands, where he played field hockey for 16 years as a goalkeeper, defender and midfielder. He earned a degree in sports, economics and communication at Fonty’s Hogeschool in Tilburg (Netherlands). He graduated with two official coaching degrees from the Royal Netherlands National Field Hockey Association in 1997 and 1998. While living in the Netherlands, Rolf coached under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18 boys and girls teams.
Rolf lives in Newark, Delaware, with his wife, Mary (Empower Coach and Administrator), and four children.
College Coaches & International Players
Rolf van de Kerkhof
Jason Klinkradt
Britt Walker McNeil
Alex Calder
Kaitlyn Zook
Missy Arenz
Carter Ayers
Azeem Bashir
Youth Coaches & Adult Players
Mary Cate ”MC" Butler
Stephanie Galbraith
Kelsey McKee
Grace Hoepfner
Kate Cusick
Fin Moreland
Nico Campbell
Erin Ricker Murphy
GUEST COACHES
Guest coaches also assist with Empower Club and Empower Academy programs, including current and former collegiate, international, and professional coaches and players.
SUPPORT STAFF
Mary van de Kerkhof, Ph.D.
Kirk Ayars
Katy O’Connell
EMPOWER FIELD HOCKEY PARTNERS
