To be honest, I’m not the real team captain, but I’m the first ‘replacement’. Our female team captain cannot be present today, because she is busy with play-off matches, unabling her to be here in Leek. We, the Dutch team, obviously wish her lots of success at these play-offs. Here in Leek we wish to have a real korfball party! This is my first year , playing in the Dutch team. I really love it; it’s no punishment being in such a nice group, to find myself in continuous queues time and again on my way to the training centre in Zeist.

 

Jim Snel, normally studying economics at the University of Amsterdam, gladly makes time within his studies for sportsmanlike achievements.

 

He adds : With this team, we played an interland match and a number of practice matches, in order to prepare ourselves to this international tournament. One of these practice matches recently was played against Chinese Taipei. Please, be warned! Don’t let them shoot, because they will get the upper hand on you!

 

This tournament? It’s a real party, everything is perfectly organized.
We go for it a hundred percent! The beginning was not too easy, as far as the first half was concerned. In the second half, we were the better team. We took a big lead and that brought us the first victory.

How we will cope further on in the tournament is as clear as mud, but it’s my prediction that the final next Sunday will be between Belgium and The Netherlands. But do not exclude Catalonia to gain a good result; there’s going to be real tension during the days to come!