The best Frisian football player of all time, after Abe Lenstra? According to Riemer van der Velde, honorary chairman of SC Heerenveen, there could only be one: Henk Zoetendal. De Jouster died in the night from Thursday to Friday at the age of 82.
The tall (1.90 metres) central midfielder, born and raised in Joure, had everything as a football player: Henk Zoetendal was technical, had great insight into the game, ruled in the air, had a powerful pass, was physically very strong and was – if the match called for it – “as mean as he was tall” (quote Johan Derksen).
Zoetendal, modest off the field and a winner on the lines, played eight seasons at Heerenveen over three periods: 1960-1962, 1967-1972 and 1973-1974. In 271 official matches in the Pompeblêden shirt, he scored 48 goals, a very good number for a midfielder.
Back to the old nest
He came over in 1960 from De Kooi, the famous amateur club from his native village. Between 1962 and 1967, Jouster showed his skills in the Premier League at GVAV (the predecessor of FC Groningen), but in 1967 Zoetendal returned to the old nest like a prodigal son.
He was the big man in the Heerenveen team that won the championship of the then Second Division in 1970. Zoetendal left Heerenveen again in 1972 after narrowly missing out on promotion to the Premier League. AZ’67, which was promoted at the same time, was able to pick up top scorer Kees Kist and Zoetendal for next to nothing in Haagje, Friesland.
Conflict with trainer Lászlo Zalai
In 1973, Jouster returned to Heerenveen again, now as undisputed captain, but after a conflict with trainer Lászlo Zalai, Zoetendal had his ongoing contract terminated in 1974. The Hungarian said after a training session, to Zoetendal’s astonishment: ‘Henk, boy. Just go home. You are mentally tired. Go for a walk with your wife and children. I don’t need you on Sunday.’ Zoetendal was furious with the coach, who also wanted to abuse him as a kind of eavesdropper in the locker room. He was only 32 years old when he retired and, to his sadness, had never played at the highest level with Heerenveen, his great love.
Player of GVAV
It has been clear for a long time that he belonged in the Premier League with his qualities. As a player for GVAV, where he was in a team with internationals such as Martin Koeman, Piet Fransen and Tonny van Leeuwen, Zoetendal made his way to the Dutch Juniors and the Dutch B team. Especially to see him play, two buses with fans drove from Joure to Groningen for every home game.
In December 1973, Henk Zoetendal showed once again how good he was. During the Heerenveen-Feyenoord cup match, Jouster Willem van Hanegem played completely out of the match. The spectacle ended in a 1-1 draw, after which Feyenoord won the penalty shootout. But Van Hanegem was so impressed by Zoetendal’s sublime play that ‘De Kromme’ was substituted at half-time.
Discoverer of Jelle ten Rouwelaar
After his football career, Zoetendal ran a sports shop with his wife Tineke in the Midstraat in Joure and became a trainer of amateurs, in his hometown and also at clubs such as Workum and Renado. He became an important pawn at Sports Club Joure, including as a youth coordinator. In that position he saw fourteen-year-old Jelle ten Rouwelaar play as a midfielder in the B-juniors. Zoetendal took his young fellow villager aside and said, “Jelle, are you going to be on goal?” It turned out to be the first step towards a goalkeeper career, which would take Ten Rouwelaar to FC Emmen, PSV and NAC Breda, among others.
Henk Zoetendal enjoyed being closely involved in the success of SC Joure as an assistant coach in 2002, which, as a modest Sunday second division team, won the northern district cup in a superior manner. Major leaguer Flevo Boys was blown away 6-0 in the final. ,
In recent years, his memory has increasingly failed him after a TIA. Henk Zoetendal, widower in 2022, leaves behind two sons and five grandchildren.