The Netherlands' first international tournament was in 2004 when the men's team competed at the European Lacrosse Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

The Dutch team went on to beat Ireland and Germany in elimination play before losing to perennial champions England in the championship final.

The Netherlands opened the tournament with a convincing win over Austria, beating Sweden the very next day in a tightly contested 1 goal match.

John's wealth of experience within the National Lacrosse League and Team Canada was supported by coaches from both North America and the United Kingdom.

The NLB formed a strategic partnership with the Royal Netherlands Navy, using their extensive facilities in Den Helder as preparation grounds for the campaign in Finland.

In addition to their grueling three-a-day practice schedule, the Dutch team took part in several naval training exercises, followed a strict eating regime, and stayed in barracks on the base.

On July 27 friends, family, and the public at large came to watch as the team practiced under a hot, sun-drenched afternoon in the city centre of Den Helder.

Well former UWO Mustang standout Andrew Dowdell (Major series 2000,NLL 2001)locked down the goaltending position, he was also tooted as a player to watch throughout the games, according to official program.

They also made ILF history by becoming the first team to win their debut game at their first World Championships (defeating South Korea by a score of 12-4).

Competing against these countries in round-robin play, the Dutch group amassed a 2-2 record, with convincing wins over both South Korea and New Zealand.

Corny, a native of Oshawa, Ontario, performed managerial duties while David Leich (head coach of the University of Western Ontario Mustangs), Jason Crosbie (standout player from the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL), and Jim Huelskamp (Former Salisbury State University All-American) acted as assistant coaches.