The Dutch Voice: December 2017 by: Pepijn de Wit
Staaf
This man is an icon in his own way in Dutch pool. He has been the greatest inspiration to Niels Feijen and sponsor of many promising youth players. From all the people I know in the Netherlands, he has the biggest heart for pool of all. Regardless of his own situation, he would always make sure you could do what you love; play pool, gain experience, and realize your dreams. Steven Verharen, also known as Staaf, is one of the five founding fathers of Hague 5 and the only one still standing after 24 years. He always brings the smell of marijuana with him. Beer and red wine are his favorites, but his true drug is pool. After his fishing rods got stolen last year, he decided to turn his life around and started traveling. You might have seen him in Chicago or New Orleans earlier this year together with Alex Lely, who declared Hague 5 to be the only real players’ pool room in western Europe. Otherwise, you would have found him in Las Vegas last week during the Mosconi Cup. He was like a kid looking at Halloween candy when he was surrounded pool’s greatest all week long. The American fans sitting next to him really didn’t understand why he was also cheering for team USA. At Griff’s, a pool hall in Las Vegas, he also cheered for my opponent when he made a good shot, even though he was backing me against that same guy. That’s what he does. That’s what we do at Hague 5. It’s true love for the game. Pool-head.com