Striking

The history of the PC includes too much aspects to be mentioned here; nor can be elaborated here about the glory of handball players at the PC handball match. Only a few striking matters can be mentioned here. The PC has boosted many fundamental developments in Frisian handball (organization, rules of the game, and so on), of which the zenith is the essential contribution to the prevention of the falling down of handball in The Netherlands and to the preservation of old cultural elements. Until 1853 the (regional) newspapers showed not a single editorial interest for any sport; no report of matches, hardly any results. Since the establishment of the Permanent Committee this improved significantly, through which we know much more about the first PC matches, than of the great Franeker handball match in the periods before

These three Belgians
George Herphelin,
August van Lierde (k)
and Emile Hoyois won
the PC from 1917.

1853 when it was already a major event for many years. In that sense one could say that the PC had also a positive influence on the start and development of (regional) sporting reports (see also the page “Winners 1854 - today”). Striking is certainly the first international handball match in 1888 against Belgium (played in Franeker), which broke down the Frisian isolation (that existed since handball disappeared in the middle and southern part of The Netherlands in the 18th and 19th century) and was furthermore one of the first international matches ever in Europe. The Belgians came to Franeker, after in 1887 members of the Permanent Committee traveled to Brussels, where they met them for the first time. Apparently the Belgians saw these Dutch - Belgian development as a major step forward, considering the fact that the Permanent Committee was awarded by the Belgian king Leopold II. Still each year a contingent Belgians come to the PC.

The significance of the PC as a guardian for the oldest national sport was (also) perceived early by the Dutch Royal family, that since king William III (descendant of experienced handball players as prince William of Orange (1533-1584) en his son prince Maurits (1567-1625)) links its name for already five successive generations with the PC by place at disposal prizes for the winners in special occasions like PC jubilees (lastly by Her Majesty queen Beatrix in 1998 and 2003). In the year 2003 Her Majesty the Queen warranted the designation 'Royal "for especially the role and societal significance of the PC".

Leopold II.jpg King Leopold II
(1865-1909)

Besides giving the sport of handball a new future and its status of highest achievable in this sport, this mainly concerns its contribute to the look of the province Fryslân, that reaches much further as the borders of the province and through this to the economical and cultural vitality of the province” as was read by Her Majesty's Governor in the province Fryslân.

Also the fact that the match is played at the same place, the Sjûkelân, since 1856 can be notified as a peculiarity. This has certainly contributed to the fact that at this place in the year 2003 a monument, consisting of two striking towers, could be raised in which and through which the phenomena PC got its fixed and physically observable symbol. Although the PC has always been a pioneer considering innovations and

new impulses for the further development of handball (examples: the issue in 1855 of “Korte verklaring van de kaatssport” (“Short explanation of Handball”), one of the first essays about sport; the introduction of the telegraaf (the score-board), also in 1855; research on sports and publication (1893); the use of posters; newsreels since 1921, broadcasts since 1929; life TV transmissions), she has resisted almost all changes in society and other 'attempts' on her idealistic principles and still the course of the PC day is in main lines the same as in the very early years. This is making the PC day for certain a striking event.