Netherlands open

Profile

Holland has been one of the top European teams since the early 1980s. The 2004 team represents a new, younger in the spirit of competitive play in The Netherlands. The standard-bearer for competitive Dutch Ultimate, Red Lights, disappointed with a low finish at the 2002 World Club Championships, prompting a youthful swing for top Dutch players. The Red Lights had been a strong international competitor in the 80s and 90s, finishing 12th as recently as 1999 at the World Club Championships in St. Andrews.

A new regime of players emerged in early 2003, formed primarily around Amsterdam club teams Crunch and Red Lights. Team Holland also has players from UFO in Utrecht, Disc Devils in Twente and Gronical Dizziness in Groningen.

Holland attended the recent 2004 Nations Cup, a premiere Worlds warm-up for Europe's best teams. The new team did not fare well against top-flight competition, finishing 6th in the six team tournament and losing to Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

This is a young team, but eager to play well and play with the best. "We hope we can beat some European teams and be among the top six from Europe," says representative Sjoerd Druiven.

Holland on Offense

Holland primarily uses a running vertical stack trying to move the disc to get good deep options. The team also plays a horizontal stack offense with specific isolations when close to the goal to insure a score. This Dutch team also has a unique isolation offense involving only a few cutters together with the handlers, forming a type of weave offense.

Look for these players when Holland has the disc:

Wouter Peters #12 is the team's most consistent thrower and receiver and plays with never-ending intensity. Recently returned from studying in Boulder, Colorado, Peters is in excellent shape.

Joost Rust #23, has been playing with the top Dutch team for 10 years starting when he was only 19. Watch out for his hucks and the break-mark throws that he makes look easy.

Michael Cummings #10, played with Great Britain's Clapham in 2002 and brings some extra tactics to the Dutch. Has big throws.

Roelof Wentzel#4, has the height to play D, but also gets open a lot underneath and can throw scores, especially from the forehand side.

Holland on Defense

Holland primarily plays man-to-man defense. They specialize in denying easy throws, pressuring the thrower to make low percentage throws. This year's team has a lot of height and speed. Expect tough marking and no easy dump and swings.

Especially look out for van Luijn on defense across the field. Here are Holland's top defensive players:

Marcel Pit #9, nicknamed "Dolle Hond" or "Mad Dog", has high layouts and a lot of energy to run around the field at breakneck pace all game.

Sjoerd Druiven#5, is a tough defender with speed and quickness who specializes in forcing difficult dump and swing passes.

Michiel van Luijn #1 makes many layout D blocks on a team that specializes in man defense. Can come up with a D on any occasion. Look for him to get off his feet often.

Team Colors:
Orange and Black

Roster:
18 players

Captain:
Sjoerd Druiven