Drenthe Cup Meppel, Netherlands - 22 untill 23 May 2010 (Whitsun) (nl)

For more than 20 years now The Drenthe Cup only has satisfied participants and more and more clubs return to Meppel each year. Nice sports parks, a well organised sports programme, the many enthusiastic and experienced volunteers and a complete leisure programme are the keys for this success. On Friday evening all team leaders are invited in the clubhouse of MVV Alcides for a 'meet and greet' with their hosts. Meanwhile the participants can party at the disco in the clubhouse of MSC-Antaris. On Saturday the tournament starts with the preliminaries. After the matches there will be a possibility to have a swim in Bad Hesselingen, a subtropical swimming pool (one visit is free of charge). In the evening everyone is invited for a boat trip through the historical, typical village of Giethoorn. This excursion is included in the participants price. Sunday all the intermediaries, classification matches and finals will take place. The Drenthe Cup will be concluded with a festive prize giving ceremony and barbeque. For this occasion, a big podium will be built on the market square in the cosy centre of Meppel. Not only for the participants but also for the many volunteers and the local population it’s a real happening.

As well as participation at the tournament, Euro-Sportring also arranges the accommodation for the participants. Participants can usually choose between school accommodation, group accommodation (youth accommodation and bungalows) and hotels. Accommodations have been selected with care and must comply to a number of conditions such are they are within easy reach of the sports park, value for money, suitalbe for sports groups, safety provisions and a fliexible management. For more information check out the pdf pricelist (or arrangement brochure) which can be found on this website.

Meppel: Meppel has 55,000 residents and is just under 13 miles west of Hoogeveen in the north-eastern Netherlands. The friendly centre has a number of shopping streets, numerous restaurants, taverns, a street market on Saturday morning.

Swimming-centre 'Bad Hesselingen'. 'Bad Hesselingen' is a large subtropical indoor swimming paradise near the centre of Meppel. It has various attractions for water fun like 5 slides/shoots, one 50 metres, jet streams and a wild-water river. There's also a poolside bar and a small restaurant. Open: Friday 12.00 á 21.30 hrs, Saturday and Sunday 10.00 á 16.30 hrs. More info: www.badhesselingen.nl. One visit is included in the participant's price.

Boat trip Giethoorn: (6 miles from Meppel) The village Giethoorn is unique in the Netherlands because of it's bridges, waterways and 'punters' (typically boats from Giethoorn) and therefore called 'Venice of the north'. The best way to see it all is by a boat trip (optional).

Zwolle: Zwolle, 13 miles from Meppel, the old hanseatic city of Zwolle is the capital of the province of Overijssel and is home to around 110,000 people. Historic facades, wonderful mansion houses, city walls and canals: that's Zwolle in a nutshell. Despite Zwolle being a lively provincial city with all the facilities you'd expect, it has not lost any of its intimacy. The centre, with its striking old gothic city hall, is a fine place for shopping and evenings out. There is choice enough. The area also offers lots of natural beauty, for example along the IJssel river.