CHENNAI: The senior women’s hockey team could be going abroad in search of friendly matches with other nations. With the pandemic showing no signs of stopping in the country, inviting sides to India may not be practical for sometime yet.
But with the Olympics less than a year away, coach Sjoerd Marijne is hoping the Sports Authority of India (SAI) gives them permission. In a chat with this daily, the Dutchman, who just finished his quarantine after arriving back from the Netherlands, also spoke about the need to take things slowly as the campers return to the turf after more than two months of inactivity. Excerpts:
Q. You went home... only to turn around halfway to the airport. Then there was some training, then the whole team left for a break. Now you are back from the Netherlands. How have the last 3-4 months been?
A. (Laughs)... it’s fair to say the whole world has changed in the last 4-5 months. When I was going back the first time, I took the call to turn around because I wasn’t sure if I could come back and that turned out to be the correct decision.
Then, there was some training. And, yes, spending time at home was great. I had moved to a new house in December and had only spent around two weeks there. To spend close to six weeks there was nice.
The kids had their holidays so I did a lot of things with them. In fact, when it was time to head back one of them had a tough time because the children had gotten so used to me being around them.
Q. The players returned to doing some outdoor activity from Monday. What are the next 10 days going to be like?
A. The most important thing is the health of the players, you cannot underestimate the physical aspect of them. When you have gone without hockey sessions for two months, you cannot directly jump in, you have to be careful.
We will take it step by step. We have got permission for 'sporting activities' so that’s what we will be focusing on now. It’s really important to obey the rules.
Q. What is the difference between ‘sporting activities’ and full-fledged training sessions?
A. So the players will be working amongst themselves and the coaches will be on the sidelines, guiding them. Our role in such a scenario will be ensuring they follow the rules. So there will be no matches amongst the team, no one-on-one training and so on.
The players will be working on basic skills — passing, dribbling and so on. It’s also important to focus on that aspect, maintaining our skills. Once we get permission from SAI, we will go back to having matches within the squad.
Q. Have you considered the prospect of inviting other nations to India for friendly matches ?
A. That’s my hope... everybody is seeing what’s happening around the world. But is it necessary to play practice matches with the Olympics coming up? Yes, it is crucial. But I’m more living in the moment more than anything now. We will have to see what is allowed and what is not.
Q. And what about going abroad?
A. Absolutely... we would love to. If we can play matches at this time, it will be a bonus. We are looking for that option. We are busy with that. But I cannot tell where because I don’t know if I can. You of course can ask that question but I’m going to be on the safe side and not tell where.