Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

With a focus on young talents, Top Zwemmen Amsterdam (TZA) has made a brandnew start on January 1st, 2005. After the team’s coach Fedor Hes left, so did their top swimmers. TZA intends to work towards success at the Olympics of 2008 and 2012 with the same organizational structure as the Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven of Jacco Verhaeren.

“At the Olympics in Athens we talked to the pro team from Eindhoven about the lack of young talents at the top end'', chairman Cees Vervoorn explained. “We want to break through that cycle together. Through an organizational structure closer to the swimming club, we intend to offer young talents proper facilities, so we can strive for Olympic success.”

Vervoorn considers the professional swimming teams a great step forward, but the gap between the teams and the clubs has become too big. The pro teams from Amsterdam and Eindhoven will work together to change this. Swimming club De Dolfijn will play an important role within the pro team from Amsterdam, just like swimming club PSV already does within Verhaeren’s professional Philips team.

Van den Hoogenband

In order to strengthen the colaboration between the two pro teams, TZA involved Pieter van den Hoogenband’s coach. Verhaeren will, among other things, review TZA's technical program and give advice on any improvements. There will also be mutual internships.

With the new structure, TZA hopes to prevent another desillusion like in Athens. Marleen Veldhuis won a bronze medal at the relay, but no-one in the TZA team qualified for any individual finals. On top of that, the team received negative publicity after Hes criticized Verhaeren’s role in the national team.



Source: ANP, December 23rd, 2004



Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005