OZ&PC is back!
This Saturday, the time has come! The men and women of OZ&PC from Oldenzaal can finally play in front of their home crowd again. They have been waiting for this due to the renovation of the Vondersweijde swimming pool. The men's coach, Dennie Slot, is looking forward to the first home game after playing their last match at home at the end of April, when they won the championship match in the second division.
‘’It has been a challenging past few months, both with training and away games. It's great that the renovation went smoothly and that the men, women, and other teams will soon be able to play a series of matches at home again! It's also nice for grandparents, family members, and others to see everyone play again,’’ says Slot, who has been associated with the club for 27 years and played 15 years in the men's first team.
The club thrives in Oldenzaal
OZ&PC has around 300 members and plays an important role in sports in Oldenzaal. Since 1989, five members have been elected Sportswoman of the Year, an OZ&PC member has been named Sportsman of the Year twice, and a team has been voted Sports Team of the Year three times. In addition, various (former) players have been part of national selection teams and five members have been named Sports Talent of the Year.
“Water polo and swimming indeed have a positive impact in Oldenzaal. We often hear from other teams that there is a great atmosphere with us. The water polo department consists of 155 members, we have ten teams, the women compete in the second division D, and after two years in the second class, we were promoted to the first class last season.’’
Positive momentum
In the summer, first the recreational pool was adjusted, followed by the competition pool. After months of not being able to play at Vondersweijde, the first home game for the men is a tough one against Katwijk. After the promotion to the first division, the team is off to an excellent start in the competition. They won against Swol 1894, Njord, and SVH, drew with De Linge last weekend, and lost to Haerlem before that.
‘’Indeed, things are going very well this season, we are in a positive flow. After two seasons in the second division, we wanted to return to the first division. We even briefly held the top spot and are currently in a commendable fourth place with ten points from five matches. Fortunately, this season's results have not been compromised by the renovation, haha. Originally, we thought of finishing between fourth and eighth place, but that has now changed!’’
Rolling with the punches
The uninterrupted series of away matches and training sessions is coming to an end. According to Slot, the teams have dealt with it well.
‘’Our youth trained in the recreational pool, but that wasn't an option for the men's and women's teams. We were creative with the situation and trained late at night in Hengelo, which is about a twenty-minute drive. We had the key so we could lock up the pool.’’
Being able to train and play in their own pool again will also be good for the post-match socializing.
‘’It's not the most important thing, but it's nice to be able to sit together after a match or training session. It will be great when everything returns to normal.’’
Engaged audience
For away matches in the first division, the men traveled across the country. It was understandably too much to ask for OZ&PC fans to attend matches in Rotterdam, Haarlem, or Veldhoven. Slot is looking forward to playing in front of their home crowd again.
''In that regard, it's high time to play at home again. I also expect it to be quite crowded this coming weekend. We've already been asked several times when it would happen again. So, it's something both the players and spectators are looking forward to.’’
Coming period
After the upcoming match, the Oldenzaal men will play one more away match against AZC for the ManMeer!-Cup, followed by home games against VZC, rivals Haerlem, De Treffers, league leaders SVH, and Njord. The opponent for Saturday has the same number of points.
‘’So, we have readjusted our goal and are aiming for a top-six finish in the league and to go as far as possible in the cup. Promotion to the Eredivisie is not realistic for multiple reasons. The goal is to remain a stable team in the first division this year, alongside the audience, and ultimately finish as high as possible. A first home victory will be nice towards that goal. We look forward to this Saturday!’’
Visit the OZ&PC website for more information.
We also would like to know what's happening at your club. Let us know at waterpolonl@knzb.nl and we will get in touch with you!
