Reinier Beeuwkes

Who was Reinier Beeuwkes?

Reinier Bertus Beeuwkes was a Dutch footballer.

Beeuwkes was born in The Hague. At the beginning of the 20th century he played as goalkeeper for the team DFC, and on 30 April 1905 played for the Netherlands in its first international game, when it won 4:1 against Belgium in an away game at Antwerp.

Until 1910 he remained goalkeeper for the national team, contributing considerably to its development as one of the strongest European teams of the period. The high point of his career was playing for the Netherlands in the 1908 Summer Olympics, that included football for the first time. After Hungary and Bohemia withdrew their teams, the Netherlands reached the semi-final uncontested, when it lost 4:0 to the later winners, England. However, it received a bronze medal for its 2:0 win against Sweden.

In 1910 he terminated his footballing career and emigrated to the Dutch East Indies, but he died in the city of his birth, The Hague.