Fitness will be a key factor for Sjoerd Marijne’s Indian women’s team hockey team as it gears up to play a packed schedule filled with top-quality opponents and high-stakes tournaments in the next few months.
From May 21 to June 3, Salima Tete-led side will play four matches against World No. 3 Australia in Perth. After the trip Down Under, the caravan will move to the FIH Nations Cup in Auckland, New Zealand (June 15-21), where the women in blue will look to win the tournament to gain promotion to the FIH Pro League next season.
The team will also play a few matches in Germany before heading to Belgium and Netherlands for the World Cup (August 15-30). But perhaps, the biggest assignment will come after it when the squad will travel to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, (September 19-October 4) for the Asian Games where the gold medallist is guaranteed a spot at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
In January, Marijne took over from Harendra Singh, returning for his second stint as the head coach after previously leading the women’s team to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. His immediate task was to help the team qualify for the World Cup and the Dutchman delivered as the side finished runner-up in the qualifiers held in Hyderabad in March. Since then, the team has also played a four-match series in Argentina, which finished in a 2-2 draw.
The team had one training camp (April 1-9) at SAI Bengaluru before the Argentina tour. The same set of 31 players is part of another ongoing national camp (May 11-20) and based on the evaluation, a 22-member squad will be selected for the Australia tour and the Nations Cup.
“When I came on 11th of January, the first step was to get rid of a lot of injuries. We had almost 14 injuries. Then, the qualification for the World Cup was important. So, there was no time for development or working on fitness. It was about managing the load.
“After that, we had a really good tour to Argentina, where we could work on what is the benchmark for international hockey. We had little time to work on our fitness but setting the benchmark was very important so that girls know what we expect from them. And from there on, we had more time and that’s what we did in this camp,” said Marijne in a virtual media interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India on Friday.
“You’re not going to create better fitness in one or two months. It takes longer time. You can do it in a short time but the chance of injuries is much bigger. That’s what we want to avoid.”
Marijne also mentioned the objective of the tour Down Under and the Nations Cup. “We have four practice matches in Australia and they play a different style than Argentina. They play more in the zone. So, it will be good to see what playing against that country brings us and also, what has been done with our fitness. But we will not only play the matches but also have strength training and hockey-wise training sessions. From there on, we move to the Nations Cup where we will be playing different opponents,” said the 52-year-old Dutchman.
Salima, who missed the Argentina tour due to an injury, is clear about what the team needs to do in Australia. “The team played very well in Argentina. Winning two games against them is a big deal for us. We don’t need to change much. We have to focus on our discipline, game plan and follow the coach’s instructions,” said the 24-year-old.
Main target - Asian Games
Undoubtedly, the main target for Marijne and the Indian team is the Asian Games and they hope to have all bases covered before the continental event. “After the Nations Cup, we have a month to prepare in India before we go to Germany to play a few matches and then to the Netherlands, where we play the World Cup. All these tournaments will help us identify where we need to improve, what we are doing well, and how we cope with the level of the opponents. And at the end, we have the Asian Games, of course. That’s where we want to make our biggest performance this year,” said Marijne.
During the previous edition of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Indian team, then coached by Janneke Schopman, could only manage a bronze in 2023. Later, the side also missed out on the last opportunity to make it to the Paris Olympics as it finished fourth in the Olympic qualifiers in Ranchi.
Marijne believes the events leading up to the Asiad will prepare the side for tough moments. “We’ll be using the matches from Australia to be really good at the Nations Cup because it is something you play for the Pro League. If you play for something, it is always stressful and tense and it is good to have that already before the world cup. It’s also good to have that for the Asian Games. You get to see how the players deal with pressure moments,” he said.
Marijne impressed by growth of juniors and bigger support staff
Reflecting on his first stint and the first fourth months of his second spell as the Indian women’s team head coach, Marijne mentioned that he was delighted with the way a few juniors had transitioned to the senior level. “If you see improvements from when I left till now, you see more younger girls are involved and have made the step to the seniors,” he said.
He also stressed upon the importance of having a bigger support staff. “In the past, I had five to six people. Now, we are almost 10-12 with specialist coaches. That helps us to reach the potential of the players and we are really focused on making every individual better. I can’t do that by myself. So, we have a good team around the players,” said the Dutchman.
Along with Marijne, the senior women’s team has Matias Vila as the analytical coach, Rodet and Ciara Yila as scientific advisors working under renowned strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard, Artur Lucas as foreign chief analyst, Naga Jothi Ravichandran as video analyst, two physiotherapists and two masseuses.
Last month, Tim White was appointed as the head coach of the national junior women’s team, a step welcomed by Marijne, who said, “Tim has worked with elite teams such as the Belgian women. I know him because he worked with Raoul Ehren, coach of the Dutch women’s team.
He knows what is necessary at the highest level. If you have someone like that as a junior coach, you can’t wish for better because he knows exactly what is required for the girls.”
“I’m in close contact with him. He knows exactly what we are training and what our focus points are. So, if we have an under-21 girl coming in our team, there will be no surprises for her.”
Additionally, specialist coaches are helping the team improve in certain areas of the game.
A two-week goalkeeping camp was held in April for seniors Savita Punia, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, and Madhuri Kindo under David Williamson, a specialist who has worked extensively with the US women’s national team.
The team has been working on drag-flicking and Penalty Corners under Dutch drag-flick legend Taeke Taekema, who will physically join the team for a few days in Australia as well as New Zealand.
Published on May 15, 2026