25 weldige sport om naar te kijken. Het samenspel tussen speler en paard is uniek. Het is ongelooflijk hoe een paard reageert op de speler en de bal. Daarnaast was er die weekeinden op het Engelse platteland een grote gezelligheid rond die polowedstrijden. Iedereen nam zijn eigen eten en drinken mee. Zo’n picknick is enig. Ik dacht: dit is ook voor mijn eigen relaties geweldig. Voetbal, hockey en tennis kenden ze wel, polo niet. Dat was mijn inspiratie om het ook in Nederland op te zetten toen we terugkwamen. Nog steeds organiseren wij jaarlijks een polo-picknick op landgoed Groenevecht in Breukelen.” Y u p p e n u i t A m s t e r d a m Polo werd al in de eeuwen voor het begin van onze jaartelling door koningen en edelen in Perzië gespeeld en eind negentiende eeuw door de Britten naar Europa gehaald. In Nederland wist de sport eigenlijk nooit voet aan de grond te krijgen. De poloactiviteiten bleven tot de jaren negentig beperkt tot een jaarlijkse demonstratiewedstrijd in Lage Vuursche, waar Van Zadelhof f met zijn relaties ook te vinden was. Totdat ook die demonstratiewedstrijden stopten. Inmiddels had Van Zadelhof f de fervente polospeler Laurens Brouns leren kennen. Hun contact bleek het begin van wat zou uitgroeien tot poloclub Vreeland. “Ik wilde hoe dan ook een club binnen de Randstad hebben. Buiten de Randstad kun je zat grond kopen, maar de polospelers zijn allemaal yuppen uit Amsterdam en Utrecht,” zegt Van Zadelhof f lachend. “Ze verkelen, where we also have a champion stallion: Tjebbe 500. Funerals are one of our main activities; we do two or three a week throughout the Netherlands. Horse enthusiasts in particular prefer a carriage drawn by Friesian horses over a gauche American hearse.’ When asked what sparked his passion for polo, he fondly thinks back to 1980s London, where he lived with his wife. Every weekend, they would head to the English countryside, where (well-off) families competed against each other in polo matches held on their vast estates. ‘It's an incredible sport to watch. The interaction between rider and horse is fascinating; as is seeing the way the horse responds to the rider and the ball. Those weekends in the English countryside were great fun. Everyone brought their own food and drinks and had a lovely picnic. I remember thinking how much my friends and family back home would enjoy it. They were familiar with football, hockey and tennis, but not with polo. That's what inspired me to organise tournaments in the Netherlands when we got back. We still organise an annual polo picnic at the Groenevecht estate in Breukelen.’ Y u p p i e s f r o m A m s t e r d a m Polo was played centuries ago by Persian nobility and was brought to Europe by the British in the late nineteenth century. In the Netherlands, however, the sport never really gained ground. Until the 1990s, the only noteworthy event was the annual exhibition tournament in Lage Vuursche, which was attended by Van Zadelhoff and his friends. But this tournament was ultimately discontinued as well. Around the same time, Van Zadelhof f befriended avid polo player Laurens Brouns. Their relationship marked the beginning of what would one day become the Vreeland Polo Club. ‘I was determined to start a club in the Randstad area. There's plenty of land for sale outside the Randstad, but polo players are all yuppies from Amsterdam and Utrecht,’ Van Zadelhof f says with a laugh. ‘They make good money but don’t have the time to drive an hour to a polo club three times a week – neither do I. So it had to be close to the city. Unfortunately, there aren’t many options in this part of the country for a polo field, which is traditionally 270 by 130 metres. Most plots are just thirty metres wide with ditches and the wrong soil: clay is too hard and peat is too soft, but silty soil is perfect. Then this farm came on the market, with 45 hectares of land. It's the ideal location: on the Vecht river and a half-hour drive from Amsterdam and Utrecht. EXCLUSIVE SPORTS
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