Articles.
The content (content being images, text, sound and video files, programmes and scripts) of this website is copyright of Racing Pigeon Post. All rights expressly reserved.
Nigel Lane
“Fondclub de Glazenstad”
The “Fondclub de Glazenstad”, or as we might call it the long distance Club of the Glass City, is a specialised long distance Club formed to increase the interest of members participating in National and International races in a specific area of Holland. The radius of the Club covers one of the most interesting parts of the Netherlands. A beautiful and historic coastal strip contained between the massive port complex of Rotterdam to the South and the multicultural, cultural playground of Amsterdam to the north. Yet within this narrow strip is found the third largest city in Holland, after Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Den Haag. While The Hague is the seat of the Netherlands Government, containing all the government departments, the Supreme Court and Council of State as well as all the foreign embassies it is also the de facto judicial capital of the United Nations and location of its primary judicial institutions.
The “Fondclub de Glazenstad”, or as we might call it the long distance Club of the Glass City, is a specialised long distance Club formed to increase the interest of members participating in National and International races in a specific area of Holland. The radius of the Club covers one of the most interesting parts of the Netherlands. A beautiful and historic coastal strip contained between the massive port complex of Rotterdam to the South and the multicultural, cultural playground of Amsterdam to the north. Yet within this narrow strip is found the third largest city in Holland, after Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Den Haag. While The Hague is the seat of the Netherlands Government, containing all the government departments, the Supreme Court and Council of State as well as all the foreign embassies it is also the de facto judicial capital of the United Nations and location of its primary judicial institutions.
Then, but a short way away is the smaller but gloriously beautiful university town of Delft. Delft is probably best known for the blue pottery to which it gave its name though perhaps as importantly as the town of Johannes Vermeer.
Just a little north is Leiden another beautiful old town and a university town since 1575, no surprise then it should be twinned with Oxford, England’s oldest university town.
It is the landscape that surrounds these towns however that has given its name to this highly prestigious pigeon racing club, as the “Glass City” is made up from the greenhouses that cover this land. The whole of Holland is famous for its agriculture and horticulture but here in this narrow strip you see a concentration on horticulture under glass. So, while many in this area find their work in Government departments, Courts, Embassies and universities few families can go untouched by the “Glass City”. For instance the 2010 Emperor's Champion of the “Fondclub de Glazenstad”, none other than Jan de Wijs and Son, have not only made their name in racing pigeons and, in Europigeons.NL, the business of pigeons but their grounding and living arose from a very successful business in horticulture under glass. While another highly successful fancier in the area Jan Dirk Van Egmond makes his living by buying flowers from one of the huge markets in the area and transporting them to florists throughout Germany. Pigeons and glass make a very successful combination for many in this area.
It is the landscape that surrounds these towns however that has given its name to this highly prestigious pigeon racing club, as the “Glass City” is made up from the greenhouses that cover this land. The whole of Holland is famous for its agriculture and horticulture but here in this narrow strip you see a concentration on horticulture under glass. So, while many in this area find their work in Government departments, Courts, Embassies and universities few families can go untouched by the “Glass City”. For instance the 2010 Emperor's Champion of the “Fondclub de Glazenstad”, none other than Jan de Wijs and Son, have not only made their name in racing pigeons and, in Europigeons.NL, the business of pigeons but their grounding and living arose from a very successful business in horticulture under glass. While another highly successful fancier in the area Jan Dirk Van Egmond makes his living by buying flowers from one of the huge markets in the area and transporting them to florists throughout Germany. Pigeons and glass make a very successful combination for many in this area.
For racing purposes The Netherlands is divided into 12 regions, or Afdeling, and these regions are often broken down into smaller areas formed by groups of localised Clubs. Smaller towns will have their own Club and as the towns get larger they may well support more than one Club, much as you might find in the UK. Also, just as in the UK, each Club will not only have a name but a registered identifying number. From here on in however things work much differently to the UK because instead of having a proliferation of national, semi national and specialised organisations each competing against each other and all competing against local clubs by organising there own programme and insisting on going "their own little way" in the Netherlands local Clubs come together through areas, regions and the NPO for National racing and ZLU for International racing. This provides a comprehensive, unified, cost effective and efficiently managed programme open to all. How on earth do they achieve that?
As shown in the ZLU Tarbes result below simply including the Club Registered Number in a National Result can assist members to visualise the result down to local Club level.
The “Fondclub de Glazenstad” was formed in 1999 and its main objective was to bring together the members in Afdeling 5, South Holland and Afdeling 12 “De Kuststrook”, or coastal strip, to make a more interesting localised competition out of the fiercely competitive and very well supported National and International races.
View The Glass City in a larger map
By working in this way it manages to minimise costs and administration, actively supports the existing structure and programme while providing its members and its area with an additional focus and interest in their sport. Clearly the “Fondclub de Glazenstad” is a forward looking organisation that makes its members interest their main priority. This is reflected in a very good web site and first class press representative, Wim van Rijk, so that everything in the “Glass City” is not only transparent but well reported. Fortunately you can also read Wim van Rijk’s reports on the 2010 “Glass City” International winners here:-
The local Clubs that go to make up “Fondclub de Glazenstad”
A Johannes Vermeer view of Delft.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
