The Zeist Feeling of Robin van Galen

In 2025, we bid farewell to our swimming pool in Zeist. We won't let the farewell of the KNZB pool go unnoticed. Hans Nieuwenburg wrote in early November about 'the last time to Zeist'. In the upcoming month, several (former) coaches, managers, and players will share their feelings about Zeist. In the first part of the series 'The Zeist Feeling of,' Robin van Galen takes you along.

With various thoughts and feelings, I will soon bid farewell to the KNZB pool in Zeist, a place deeply rooted in my heart. It feels like I am not only saying goodbye to a building and a piece of my life, but also to a piece of Dutch water polo history.

My first memory of Zeist dates back to 1986. As a fourteen-year-old youth international, I set foot in the pool for the first time. The tension, the smell of chlorine, and the echoes of my teammates in the water are still vivid in my mind. It was the place where dreams began. Where young players hoped to one day be part of something bigger: Team Netherlands. It was a milestone for talents to train in Zeist. It was a renowned place in the water polo world and its surroundings. In the most positive sense of the word, it was a water polo factory.

From 1999, I returned to Zeist, this time as a national team coach. First for the youth, then for the men, later for the women, and ultimately again for the men. For twenty years – until 2019 – Zeist was my second home. It was not just a pool; it was a sanctuary, a training base, and above all a place where you grew. Both players and coaches were sharpened into a close-knit team. The intense training sessions, the analyses by the poolside, the discussions in the Seminar room, and the dormitories... These were the moments that made Zeist a breeding ground for unity and success.

But my connection to this pool goes beyond coaching. Between 1995 and 2009, I had the honor of managing the pool together with Marjan op den Velde. We made sure it was not just a place for elite athletes, but also for the water polo community at large. It was a hectic but beautiful time. My father-in-law, Hans op den Velde, played a crucial role in this. He believed in the power of the pool, financed the operation for years, and ensured the pool could remain open. His vision and dedication made it a central place in the water polo world. He is part of 'my Zeist feeling.' Through his efforts, the women knew every tile and crooked branch. It also helped them achieve Olympic gold.

Everyone saw the importance of having our own pool, and many stepped up to contribute. Zeist was more than just water and tiles. It was a place where generations of water polo players were molded. Where Dutch success in the water was born, from youth teams to Olympic medals. It was a place where teammates became friends, where moments together became legendary, and where I, as a coach, manager, and person, grew.

Closing this pool does not mean losing its history. The stories, the achievements, and the memories will endure. But it is saddening that a place that was so important for our sport and for me personally is now disappearing.

We move with the times. Rotterdam and Eindhoven are wonderful initiatives with their own charms, but they do not have the forest path like in Zeist. We will no longer see parents sitting on the 'stands,' and, and, and...

I hope that as a water polo community, we continue to build new places and opportunities. That we keep on dreaming, just like I did in 1986 when I first stepped into Zeist. But above all, I hope we never forget what Zeist meant to us.

Everything comes to an end. It is what it is.

Thank you, Zeist. For everything.

Robin van Galen