Bandy and Ice Hockey in the Netherlands (1890-1945)

The sport of bandy was first introduced to the Netherlands during the harsh winter season of 1890-91. W.J.H. (Pim) Mulier, an avid sportsman who spearheaded the development of multiple sports in the county, returned from England, where he had learned of bandy.

On January 5, 1891, the Amsterdamsche Courant newspaper wrote of a match between an English team and the Amsterdamsche IJsclub. The teams were given colored arm bands to wear - the English received red while the Amsterdam players wore blue. The paper described the game as ("polo op schaatsen"; in English, "polo on skates) and noted that a red ball was put into play.