Biography of the Dutch Men’s Volleyball team
 
In 1947 the National Volleyball Federation of the Netherlands (Nevobo) was founded.
Although volleyball was played in every secondary school in the Netherlands, during these years the results of the national team were not spectacular. A major change occurred in 1987. The legendary coach Arie Selinger started a full-time program with the national men’s team.
 
After reaching several second places during Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships the Dutch team succeeded in maintaining at the top end of the world rankings. The successor of head coach Arie Selinger, Joop Alberda, continued with some experienced internationals like Ron Zwerver, Peter Blangé and Henk Jan Held, but also succeeded in introducing new talents like Bas van de Goor and Guido Görtzen.
 
1995
During this period the National Federation decided to set up a separate organization for both the National Teams and Youth Teams. This “Foundation Top Volleybal Nederland” was established in 1995, and tried – in close cooperation with the National Federation- to create the best conditions for the national teams so they could remain as one of the best teams in the world.
 
1996
1996 was a very special one for the men's team with their first international tournament victory in June, winning the World League Finals in Rotterdam. But the best was yet to come. On August 4 the Netherlands won their first Olympic Volleyball gold medal.

In a thrilling final, the two best teams, the Netherlands and Italy, played a brilliant match and after a nerve-racking 5th set Italy was defeated. Later this gold medal match was chosen as the sport moment of the century by the Dutch people.

After Atlanta, the Netherlands wanted to continue its leading role at the highest level. One month after the Olympic Games the foundation “Top Volleybal Nederland” presented a master plan, which described a future vision that had to guarantee new successes. In the plan, called “The Road to Sydney”, the education of young talents played an essential role, as the Dutch were convinced that there was good potential for young players.
 
1997
The team, a mixture of experienced and a few young players, started well in 1997, qualifying easily for the World Championships 1998. In September the Netherlands hosted the European Championships. During the preliminary round the Dutch team defeated all five opponents 3-0. Even the semi-final against Italy ended in the same result. Yugoslavia was the only team that won one set of the Dutch. But it wasn’t enough: for the first time in history The Netherlands were the new European Champion.
 
1998
In 1998 the season started well with a third place at the World League finals, but after this several disappointments followed. The team lost their European qualification matches, and finished a disappointing sixth at the World Championships.
 
1999
1999 also heralded a bad start. With a last place finish in the World League pool the team didn’t reach the finals in Argentina. However the Netherlands qualified for the European Championships. With the return of setter Peter Blangé, head coach Toon Gerbrands and his players hoped for better results and qualification for the Olympic Games. Unfortunately the European Championships were not very successful. In Vienna they came a disappointing 5th place.
 
2000
The Netherlands lost there first chance at Olympic qualification in Katowice (Poland) but they did not succeed. In July the World League Volleyball Finals took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Even home advantage couldn’t prevent them from finishing 5th. Victories over Italy and the USA showed that the future for the Dutch team was still quite promising.
 
To qualify for the Olympic Games in Sydney the team had to win all their qualification games in France. By beating the French team during a thrilling game, the Netherlands showed that they still belong to the top.
 
In Sydney the Yugoslavian team defeated the team in the quarterfinals, and as result the Netherlands went home in 5th place.
 
2001
In 2001 the team was renewed once again and the former coach of the Dutch Women’s team, Bert Goedkoop, was appointed as new head coach. What was remarkable was that Bert Goedkoop started the international season with several young players who had no experience playing on a high club level in the Netherlands.
 
With this extremely young team, the Netherlands qualified for the World League Finals in Katowice, Poland and ended 7th. Not many people in the Netherlands expected the young team to perform so well. Even the press was surprised the team qualified for the Finals.   
 
In August, the team played the World Championship qualification tournament in the Netherlands. The Dutch won three matches (and the tournament) so they would be present during the World Championship 2002 in Argentina.
 
The European Championships in the Czech Republic were less successful than expected. The mission was to end within the top 6 of the European participants. The new team was playing very well up until then but went home in 8th.
 
2002
In 2002, during the first qualification rounds for the 2003 European Championships the Netherlands played against the national teams of Spain, Macedonia and Slovenia. For this very important tournament, Bert Goedkoop, brought former international Olof van der Meulen (from the 1996 Olympic Golden team) into the team. The Dutch team ended in second place, behind Spain.
 
The Netherlands played against the teams of Cuba, Germany and Russia in the World League, and reached the finals in Brazil where they ended in 7th place.
 
In spite of the decent preparation and good play, the Dutch team couldn’t reach its goal during the World Championship in Argentina. The Netherlands had bad luck with the pool division (again with the teams of Russia and Brazil) and went home in 9th place.
 
2003
The 2003 season started with several friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium. During the European Qualification Tournament in Macedonia, participation in the European Championship was secured. The team managed 10th in the World League as Serbia & Montenegro and Bulgaria were too strong for the Dutch.
 
In Poland a first place was reached at the Wagner Memorial (4 countries) Tournament. At the European Championships, Richard Schuil was appointed ‘top scorer’ and the Dutch team ended sixth after losing against Poland (match for place 5-6).
At the end of 2003, the Netherlands played a number of friendly matches against Russia, in preparation for the European Olympic Tournament in the beginning of January 2004. The Russian team won all four matches, which was a sign for the upcoming tournament.
 
2004
During the European Olympic Tournament, the Dutch team played their pool matches against Finland, Spain and France. No sets were lost and the Netherlands reached the semi-finals against Germany without any problems. Germany was then defeated 3-0. Russia however were too strong in the finals and they received the tickets to the Olympics. Fortunately the team of trainer/coach Goedkoop had another qualification option for Athens at the end of May 2004 in Spain. Cameroon, Cuba, Spain and the Netherlands had to fight for the last entrance-tickets of the main sport event in the world. The Netherlands won all their matches and lost only one set, against Cuba and thus qualified.
 
From June 1st until July 7th there was the first edition of the European League. In the preliminary round the Dutch men played against Slovakia, Finland and Germany. In Bratislava the team managed to defeat Slovakia twice, 3-2 and 3-1. In the Dutch city Den Bosch the Netherlands lost their first match against Finland (2-3), but the team won the second duel 3-0. In Salo (FIN) again the first match was lost with 2-3, but the second one was won by the men in Orange, 3-1. On June 19 and 20, Slovakia visited Holland for the return. Again the Netherlands were too strong for the Eastern Europeans (3-2, 3-2). In Eindhoven the Netherlands met Germany and managed to defeat the Germans twice, 3-1, 3-2. The Netherlands prepared for the final round in Czech, together with the home country, Russia and Germany. Czech was a step too far for the Netherlands in the semi-final and they lost  0-3. The first set in the bronze medal match against Germany was very exciting and ended in a 29-31 victory for Germany, but the Netherlands fought back; 25-18, 25-19 and 25-23 picking up the victory.
 
The Dutch team travelled to Poland for five friendly matches against Australia (two times), Tunis, Russia and Poland. They won the first four meetings, but lost the last one against Australia. After that Argentina visited the Netherlands to prepare for the Olympics. The teams appeared well matched: Argentina won the first duel with 2-3, the Netherlands managed to win the second and third encounter by 3-2 on both occasions.
 
The Olympic Games of Athens started on August 15th. Russia was the first opponent, a major favourite for the Olympic title. Both teams created a match on a very high level and, to everybody’s surprise, the Dutch team won 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 17-25, 27-2, 18-16). Two days later, the Netherlands met the USA and managed to surprise again with Goedkoop’s team not losing a set. Brazil was the third Olympic opponent on August 19th. The Netherlands won the second set, but the soon-to-be Olympic champions were simply stronger winning 1-3 (22-25, 26-24, 21-25, 19-25). Two days later Italy awaited the men in Orange. The Netherlands didn’t play their best and Italy profited without losing a set (19-25, 21-25, 20-25). Now it was clear that there was no chance for a place in the final round, something the team hoped for after starting the tournament so well against Russia. The last match in the pool was of no significance, but the Netherlands wanted to save their honour. Australia gave a good fight in the first set (25-22), but in the second and third set the Netherlands came back to win 25-17, 25-16. They therefore ended on the 9th/10th place, together with France.
 
2005
Shortly after the Olympics, the Dutch top volleyball organisation Pro-Volley went bankrupt. The Dutch Volleyball Federation decided, after careful consideration, to search for a new the trainer/coach for the national men’s team. Former coach of the Dutch men, Harry Brokking, was hired for the job.
 
To prepare for the European Championship and the World Championship qualification Tournament in the summer of 2005, the Dutch team played a series of friendly matches in and against Canada. After that they travelled to the USA, for three friendly matches against the American team, followed by an international tournament against USA, China and Australia, which they won.
 
In July the Dutch Men played a number of friendly matches against Portugal and Germany in the Netherlands. The results against Portugal were disappointing; the first match was won by the Dutch favour 3-2, but the second and third matches were won by Portugal (0-3, 1-3). Then the team beat Germany twice, 3-1 and 3-2. During two Qualification Tournaments in France and Bulgaria the Netherlands did not succeed in qualifying for the 2006 World Championships in Japan. The European Championships in Belgrade resulted in a disappointing 11th place.

2006
After a period of bad results record international Peter Blangé took the reins in the summer of 2006. In May Blangé and his men played a series of friendly matches against Belgium. The Netherlands won 4 of the 5 matches.
 
During an international tournament in Zagreb the Dutch Men were defeated by Bulgaria (0-3), Croatia (1-3) and Belgium (2-3), but by winning twice against Sweden, Macedonia and Slovenia at the Qualification Tournaments in Rotterdam and Macedonia (Skopje) in June the Netherlands successfully qualified for the 2007 European Championships.
 
After two friendly matches against France (both lost with 0-3) the European League started in July. In Ankara the team of Blangé won their matches against Turkey (3-1), Germany (3-2) and Spain (3-0). Then in Rotterdam the Dutch Men were too strong for Germany (3-2), Slovakia and Greece (both 3-0). In Estonia the Netherlands triumphed over Spain, Slovakia and Estonia and by beating Germany (3-2) the Dutch Men reached the Final Four of the European League unbeaten.
 
In an exciting semi-final against host country Turkey the ‘Orange’ men won again (23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-23 and 17-15). In the final against Croatia the Netherlands did not start strongly. The first set (19-25) went to the Croatians, who were too strong for Greece in the other semi-final. However the Netherlands picked up the next three sets and thus the title. A good first victory on the road to the Olympic Games in Beijing.
 
The year 2006 ended with 3 friendly matches against Russia. The Netherlands won the first match (3-0), but later lost the second and third, 1-3 and 0-3.
 
2007
The year 2007 started with two friendly matches against Belgium, which resulted in a win
(3-0) and a loss (2-3) before the European League began. Spain was the first opponent, in Rotterdam and the Dutch men won their first match, but unfortunately lost the second. In Germany the first match was an advantage to Germany (2-3), but the Netherlands had their revenge in the second match and won convincingly, 3-0. Four matches against Belgium followed, with only one loss for the Netherlands. In Rotterdam the Dutch Men had to put up with a heavy defeat by Germany (0-3), but by winning the second match (3-2) the team kept its sights on the Final Four. One week later a disappointing defeat against Spain (21-25, 23-25, 21-25) meant the Dutch were not able to defend their European League title.
 
In preparation for the 2007 European Championships in Russia two friendly matches against Belgium were organised. Then the Netherlands participated in the Hubert Wagner Memorial Tournament in Poland, where after defeating a strong Serbia (3-1), a loss against Slovakia followed. By beating Poland (3-1) and England (3-0) they reached the final. Germany however was too strong (20-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 8-25). During the ‘Tournoi de France’ Blangé and his men crossed swords with France (0-3), Bulgaria (0-3) and Poland (1-3), after which the European Championships started.

In the first match of the European Championships in St Petersburg, Serbia had the better hand (23-25, 21-25, 18-25). The first two sets were reasonable, but in the third the Netherlands were thrashed. The Netherlands also lost the second match to Greece (2-3). With only one match to go it would be hard for the Dutch men to qualify for the second round. Germany had to be beaten with soundly and then also the other results had to be in favour of Blangé his team. However the Netherlands beat Germany (25-15, 26-24, 25-19) and thanks to a 3-1 victory of Serbia over Greece the team reached the next round. In this round the Dutch did not succeed against an unbeaten Spain (1-3), but a valuable 3-2 victory was obtained over France. The Dutch men then played against Slovakia knowing that a seventh place was the highest position they could finish. This last match resulted in a 3-1 victory for Blangé and his men.
 
Because of the 7th place at the European Championships the Netherlands had to play a Pre-Olympic Qualification Tournament. In Catania (Italy) the Dutch men started the tournament with a match against Romania. After an exciting first set (26-24) Romania could not offer enough resistance and the Netherlands won the second (25-18) and third set (25-19). The next opponent was Greece. This team was also defeated 3-0. Croatia waited in the semi final but the Dutch men played solidly and beat them in three sets. Unfortunately Blangé and his men could not crown their excellent performance with victory over Italy (2-3). Despite their loss in this match, the Dutch team qualified for the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Izmir (TUR), as best runner-up.
 
2008
The Dutch Men’s team started the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Izmir with a painful defeat (0-3) against Italy. Thanks to a surprising victory against Poland (3-2) the Netherlands were still in line for the Olympics. The Dutch team beat Spain (3-1) but unfortunately lost in the semi finals to Serbia (0-3).
 
In May the Dutch team started in the European Championships Qualification Tournament, which took place in Rotterdam and Slovenia. Azerbaijan was the first opponent, but the Dutch team were far too strong for them. The matches against Latvia and Slovenia were of the same high level and the Dutch men were supreme dropping no sets. After that, the Dutch team travelled to Slovenia for the last three matches, winning them convincingly. During the whole qualification series the Netherlands lost only one set in six games and qualified for the European Championships 2009 in Turkey.
 
Shortly after the European Championships Qualification Tournament, the Dutch team participated in the European League. The Netherlands played against Slovakia, Greece, Great Britain and Portugal. In the first weekend in Zilina (SVK) the Dutch team started great by winning all their matches (3-2 against Greece, 3-0 against Great Britain and 3-2 against host Slovakia) and directly became the leader in pool A.

The team also won the next three matches in Greece before qualifying for the finals in Turkey. After five weekends the team had an unbeaten sequence of twelve won matches. Peter Blangé, head coach of the Dutch men, was satisfied and pleased with his young team. “This generation has a lot of potential and that is a great luxury”.

In the semi-final in Bursa the Netherlands were too strong for Turkey (3-1) but lost the final to Slovakia (3-1).
 
 
2009
The year 2009 started with the World Championships 2nd round in Rotterdam. The main goal of 2009 was to qualify for the World Championships in 2010. The Dutch team started well by winning matches against Latvia, Estonia and Turkey and qualifying for the 3rd round in August. Head coach Peter Blangé was satisfied with the results.

In June, after an absence of six years, the team played in the FIVB World League again, facing USA, China and Italy. The Dutch men started well by defeating the Olympic Champions USA (3-0). Unfortunately the next day the USA beat the Netherlands (2-3). With two spectacular victories over China one week later the Netherlands strengthened their position in group A. The matches against Italy however were disappointing. The Netherlands lost four matches in a row, and dropped to third place in their group. In China, one match was won, but they then lost the last three matches against China and the USA. With these results they did not manage to reach the Final Round. Participating in this tournament was however a big lesson for the young team and a real eye-opener. Next year they want to come back much stronger.
 
In August Blangé and his men played in the World Championships 3rd round in Varna (Bulgaria). They started the tournament with a loss against their closest rival Czech Republic (23-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-21). After a victory on Portugal, the last match against Bulgaria was lost, so the Netherlands will not participate in the World Championships next year.
 
In September the Dutch team began the European Championships Tournament, which took place in Turkey. They reached the 2nd round by defeating Finland and Estonia. The Dutch men delivered an excellent performance by defeating the big rival Italy in 4 sets, but were not able to carry this on, losing to Bulgaria (2-3) and Serbia (1-3), so they completed the tournament in 7th place.
 
Blangé noted that his team had made much progress and became a lot better in the last years. Therefore he is very confident for the year 2010.

Peter Blangé is an ambitious man with many years of experience in Volleyball, as a player as well as a coach. Since May 2006 he has been the head coach of the Dutch Men’s volleyball team. He recently extended his contract to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
 
Career as a player
Blangé started his volleyball career at age eleven in Voorburg (Tonegido). He went on to play for PVC Blokkeer, Starlift and Brother Martinus. From 1990 he played in Italy for Catania and Maxicono Parma before moving to Germany in 1996 to play for Moerser SC before returning to Italy to play for Treviso. He ended his playing career at Vrevok in the Netherlands.
 
In 1984 he made his début in the Dutch National Men’s team as a setter and was part of the team that won a silver medal at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and four years later he became Olympic Champion in Atlanta. In 1996 he also won the World League in Ahoy Rotterdam. He also went on to win the 1997 European Championships with his team and participated ultimately in his fourth and final Olympic adventure in Sydney 2000. There he played his 500th international match for the National team. He had an impressive career of sixteen years, in which he participated at four Olympic Games, eight World League Tournaments and six European Championships. With his 500 international matches he still holds the record for the Netherlands.
 
Career as a coach
After his career as a player, he became the head coach of ORTEC Rotterdam Nesselande winning the National title and the National Cup tournament three times.

Then in May 2006 Peter Blangé became the head coach of the Dutch National Men’s team qualifying for the 2007 European Championships in Russia and winning the European League. At the 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Izmir the Dutch Men did not succeed in qualifying for the Olympic Games in Beijing. In 2009 Peter Blangé and his team tried to qualify for the 2010 World Championships but they did not succeed. At the European Championships in Turkey they completed the tournament in 7th place.

In 2010 Peter Blangé and his team will perform their best in the FIVB World League and will try to qualify for the 2011 European Championships.