author
Willem Westra
Best known for a lively guide to Friesland’s traditional handball game, he helped turn a local pastime into an organized sport. His writing blends practical instruction with a real affection for Frisian history and culture.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Arum in 1862 and later active in Franeker, Willem Westra was a Dutch schoolteacher and an important organizer of kaatsen, the traditional Frisian handball game. He is remembered not only as a writer on the sport, but also as one of the key figures behind its early modern organization in Friesland and the Netherlands.
Westra was a driving force in the founding and leadership of the Nederlandse Kaatsbond, and he spent years promoting the game through lectures, publications, and club life. Contemporary and later reference sources describe him as an energetic advocate who worked to standardize rules and strengthen the place of kaatsen as a serious sport.
His best-known book is Het kaatsspel, a manual with historical notes and songs that shows both his practical knowledge and his love of tradition. He died in Leeuwarden in 1923, but his name remained closely tied to Frisian sport history.