The 51 years old Dutch hockey expert has to start from the scratch! The national team under former chief women’s hockey team coach Harendra Singh didn’t perform on expected lines.
In a system that always expects coaches to have the ability to guide a team to podium in every tournament across the globe, it will certainly weigh heavy on the mind of 51 years old Dutch hockey expert Sjoerd Marijne as he takes the responsibility chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team in 2026.
Earlier, the chief national women’s hockey coach Harendra Singh had abruptly quit national camp in December 2025. Questions were raised on his style of functioning even as Hockey India, the national governing body of hockey in India, chose to maintain silence.
Marijne takes over the reign of the national women’s hockey team at a time when the core group of players are divided and haven’t performed on expectations for several weeks in a row in major internationals matches including FIH Pro League under Harendra Singh.
Fitness of the core group of players has been a major issue in 2025.
It is altogether a different matter that Marijne was coach of the Indian women’s team that finished a creditable fourth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2021 in Japan.
The Dutch hockey expert has to start from scratch. Marijne can’t bask in the glorious past and there is no chance he has a midas touch to improve the fitness of the players overnight.
It has been three long years since Marijne quit the Indian team. He might take longer than expected to read and learn about the current set of players.
The 2026 World Cup qualification round on the home turf, will be Dutch hockey expert first test of the year. He will have to face more sterner tests later in the year at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. The Indian team will be up against the formidable Chinese women’s hockey squad. The winner will get an automatic berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The match at the Asian Games will be Marijne vs Australian hockey expert Alyson Annan, who has steadily built a strong and robust Chinese women hockey team that won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. And, Asia Cup in 2025 to win an automatic berth for 2026 World Cup.
ENDS
