In Hockey Player News #41, the magazine looks back at the origins of Hockey Corporate and how a spontaneous idea grew into one of Belgium’s most dynamic corporate sporting events. The article explains that in 2009, Gaëtan Derenne launched the concept after organising friendly matches between rival companies during a single evening. The enthusiasm generated by this first trial, played at Ixelles under the encouragement of club president Daniel Jourde, exceeded all expectations and laid the foundation for what would later become the official Hockey Corporate structure.
As highlighted in the article, the second edition already expanded to two days and two categories, followed by a third edition marked by even greater professionalisation and the creation of the Hockey Corporate non-profit association. By 2011, the tournament gathered 52 teams across White Star and Léopold, while projections for 2012 announced nearly 80 teams on three sites — proving the rapid rise in demand from Belgian companies.
The magazine also notes that while discussions about a full corporate league frequently arose, infrastructure saturation in Belgium made it impossible to organise a year-round championship. Despite this, the summer tournament format became a powerful corporate ritual, combining sport, team-building and company pride into a unique and highly anticipated annual event.
