Dus Je Gaat Naar Nederland toe?!

Following the success of the 2006 Dutch Tour, Falkirk have decided to do it again. No amateur teams this time, all sides are seasoned professionals. This time, the tour takes in the Dutch provinces of Overijssel, Gelderland and Friesland. Any questions, just mail them on.

The 'Host Cities' of Nieuwleusen, Leeuwarden and Emst

Nieuwleusen
The village lies 17 km North-East of Zwolle, the capital city of the Overijssel province. The best way to get here would be by bus (number 29 Zwolle - Coevoerden runs every 15 minutes through Nieuwleusen), after getting the Amsterdam - Groningen intercity train to Zwolle station. The village is known for its Grammaphone museum, and up until 2006 had one of the countries biggest cycle factories.

Leeuwarden
This city is the capital of the Friesland province, which is regarded as a seperate nation within The Netherlands. They speak a different language there and do expect the Friesian National Anthem before the game. The city also has a tremendous bond with Canada, after Canadian troops disobeyed orders to rid the town of the Nazis in World War II. Probably the town's most (in)famous resident is Mata Hari, the dancer/spy from The Great War. The largest cattle and outdoor flower markets are held here and Leeuwarden also has a canal system, much like those of Utrecht and Amsterdam.

Emst
The smallest of the 'Host Cities', Emst lies 25 km North of Apeldoorn, Holland's equivalent to Balmoral. The village lies in the Veluwe region, Europe's biggest low lying natural monument, so it is popular with participants in the Dutch national sport of caravaning. Marc Overmars is Emst's 'local boy done good' and Emst also is renowned for its meditation and Tibetan Studies centre, the Maitreya Institute.

L-R: Nieuwleusen, Leeuwarden & Emst - gracious hosts of the greatest team in the world!

Dutch Tour 2007 - Our Opponents

Falkirk have 3 games on the 2007 tour to look forward to - FC Zwolle, Cambuur Leeuwarden (both teams in the Dutch First Division), and KSV Roeselare of Belgium. A bit of info on each side is listed below:

FC Zwolle (Blue/White Hooped Shirts, White Shorts)	Cambuur Leeuwarden (Yellow Shirts, Blue Shorts)	KSV Roeselare (White Shirts, Black Shorts)
A team that last played in the Dutch Premier 3 years ago, Zwolle have had to deal with financial problems and stadium issues for a while now already. Despite the drama, the club has produced stars such as Jaap Stam, Bert Konterman, Johnny Rep and top Dutch coach began his managerial career at The Oosterenk Stadium.	One of three professional sides in the province (and unofficial state) of Friesland. Konterman and Stam also ended up here too! Michael Mols is also an old boy of the club. The club is relatively new - established in 1964 - and has only managed 4 seasons in the Premier Division. Cambuur were trained by a boxer at one point, although the agression rarely made it onto the pitch.	The Belgian First Division side has only been in the top flight since 2005, after 84 years of trying. Yet they survived their first season and went on to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Not much else to say about them; their colours are white/black and the only player of any real international experience is Davy Oyen, who played for PSV and Nottingham Forest.

When & Where Will We Play?

versus FC Zwolle
- Wednesday 11th July 7pm @ Sportpark 'Klaverblad' in Nieuwleusen
- prices not yet known

versus Cambuur Leeuwarden
- Thursday 12th July 7pm @ Sportterrein 'DTD' in Jelsum (10KM North of Leeuwarden)
- prices not yet known

versus KSV Roeselare
- Saturday 14th July 4pm @ Sportpark 't' Hanendarp' in Emst
- prices not yet known

Other Interesting Points

- Amateur teams rely heavily on the social club. In many towns, this is the place to be for the locals. The atmosphere is usually very welcoming and the price of food/drink very reasonable. Do behave yourselves in any case.

- No pies but meatballs, frikandel sausage, meat croquettes and fries with all sorts of topping. Home made and delicious at the game.

- This area doesn't have any train stations. You'd probably be better getting a train to either Groningen or Meppel followed by a bus. Check out www.ov9292.nl and you can get instructions, in English, on how to get from A to B.

- Those of you driving: go to Routenet.nl and enter the postal codes of your startpoint and destination. The site is also in English with the resulting directions in English too.

- Again, those of you taking the car: Traffic offences are punished heavily, when it comes to those from outside Holland. Breaking speed limits will mean a huge fine and payable only by cash!

- Everyone thinks of places like Amsterdam and Rotterdam when thinking of Holland. Outside, life can be a bit quieter. Be thoughtful to the countryside and the locals in the areas you are visiting and you will be sure of a great welcome.

If you need any further assistance, then let me know and I'll try to help.

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