Henk Blok

Henk Blok can be considered one of the fathers of Dutch volleyball. Competing in various sports in his youth, Blok attended the school for Physical Education and became a gym teacher at various schools. After World War II, he joined a newly founded athletics club, Celebes, as a trainer. The club had come to own some volleyballs and nets left by US soldiers. A mostly unknown sport in the Netherlands, Blok formed the first women’s team. As the sport quickly grew and his women’s team was doing well, Blok was asked to be the national team coach for the 1949 European Championships. Although the Dutch placed 7th and last without winning a single set, it was the start of a national coach tenure that lasted until 1963. During that period he led the Celebes women’s team to five national titles (1949, 1955-56, 1958-59).

In 1963, Blok was appointed head coach of the men’s national team. He led the team to victory in the West European qualifying tournament for the 1964 Olympics, where volleyball made its Olympic début. The Netherlands placed 8th in Tokyo. He withdrew after the 1967 European Championships. In 1972, he published a book called “Volleybal”, which became required reading for a generation of Dutch players and coaches. After his retirement, Blok remained active as a surfer and golfer, and kept watching volleyball - in particular his grandson who played at a national level.