Jan Drost, a veteran press photographer who spent more than 45 years documenting the history of PEC Zwolle and his hometown, died on July 31, 2026, at the age of 83.
Drost served as the official club photographer for decades, capturing monumental moments including PEC Zwolle's 3-0 victory over Ajax in 1976, the 1977 cup final against FC Twente, and the 1985 grandstand fire.
Legacy and Memories
His extensive archive of physical photos and negatives chronicled local sports and daily life in Zwolle since the 1960s.
In 2013, a press room at MAC3PARK stadium was named in his honor.
Earlier this year, Drost recalled the technical challenges of the analog journalism era during an interview for the Zwolle Originals project.
"It regularly happened that I left before the end of the match.
You can't imagine that now, but I still had to transmit my photos to the newspaper from home, and that took a lot of time," said Drost.
As the only photographer in the northeastern Netherlands with an analog photo transmitter at home, Drost regularly supplied images to outlets including Zwolse Courant, De Telegraaf, Algemeen Dagblad, ANP, and NOS.
In another reflection, Drost shared a story about former head coach Co Adriaanse during a team photo shoot.
"What I can still remember well was when he was appointed here as head coach. I was asked to take the presentation photo.
Co walked onto the pitch with a net of balls. He threw them over his shoulder and walked with them to the center circle.
I thought 'that's nice for a photo'. So I took a few, but Co was not pleased with that.
'I'd rather you didn't publish those, because then those boys will see me as a ball boy,' he said.
'Then they'll think I'm going to walk with the balls every time, and I don't intend to.'
It was still a way to show 'I'm the trainer and not a ball boy.' I understood that somewhere too," said Drost.
Longtime friend and former player Ben Hendriks noted Drost's quiet demeanor and strong passion for capturing local history, along with his love for organizing trips to the circus.
Drost retired from professional photography in 2008 but remained an active supporter attending home matches. His extensive visual collection is now preserved by local heritage organizations.
