WHEN Sjoerd Marijne took over as coach of the women's hockey team for a third time last December, it was a necessary step in the right direction after a few tumultuous years. A Hail Mary to save a broken team, a collection of individuals who were broken.
By the time Harendra Singh had resigned in November, several players didn't even want to be in camp. They had complained over his 'behaviour'. There were also allegations about the kind of 'language' he had used during training sessions.
Before him, there was Janneke Schopman, part of the coaching staff when Marijne had led the team to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. But the Dutchwoman was fighting her own battles with Hockey India, one of her co-employers. In an extraordinary mixed zone interaction with a few journalists in February 2024 after a Pro League encounter, she alleged discrimination. "I don't feel valued or respected as a person," she had said.
On the field, the results were below par. They didn't qualify for the Olympics, but it wasn't just that. There was no real process, and performances were deeply worrying. Marijne had stepped into this environment in December 2025. It's why his first order of business was re-establishing trust and building a team. "The focus is on coming together and functioning as a strong unit," he had told HI in a press release upon his appointment, a particularly strong message for an in-house channel.
Everything else could wait. Tough love could take a backseat for the time being. It was time for some Ted Lasso-style coaching. Of course, this wasn't surprising, for Marijne does moonlight as a motivational speaker (it's generally why he doubles up as the team's primary mental coach as well). So, training sessions in the camp were designed to be fun. The focus was on making the workplace less toxic. For example, Marijne would challenge the players. "If I do 50 burpees, you would have to do 51," he would tell his wards. If it wasn't burpees, it would be the exercise bike. "I can spend 30 minutes, but you will win the challenge if you are on it for 31 minutes."
The smiles gradually returned to the players' faces. What were the reasons behind these small team-building challenges? "When I came in," he had told this daily in July, "the main thing was to create more unity inside and out. How do we treat each other? How do we want to be seen inside and outside the pitch? Culture really shapes teams. Players focused on the team and not on themselves was one of the things..."
Marijne knew he had to work towards getting the players to buy into his methods. What he did with Deepika was a case in point. After sustaining a severe hamstring injury, the forward was out of action for months. She had even missed the Asia Cup last year, and her absence had stretched to the World Cup qualifier in Hyderabad in March.
The Dutchman, though, was very clear in his mind that Deepika would be travelling with the team for that tournament. The thinking was clear. He didn't want her to continue the final stages of her rehab alone in the camp. A necessary human touch in a high-stakes environment. At the World Cup, Deepika will be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
"The one thing the entire team and I like about him (Marijne) is he's very direct with his players," Savita Punia tells this daily. "It is a very healthy environment off the field in how we connect. On the field, it is very good. He imposes positive pressure on us to do well."
The team also welcomed back Wayne Lombard, the South African who had played an instrumental role in building the team's fitness in Tokyo. Even though Lombard will be with PV Sindhu at the World Championships, his staff will be travelling with the women's team for the entirety of the World Cup.
There's no saying how far the women's team will go at the World Cup, but the last six months have brought about the desired effects. First, they qualified for the World Cup. A few months later, they won the Nations Cup to advance to the next edition of the Pro League.
There's a feeling that the women's team's ultimate short-term challenge will be the threat of China at the Asian Games and the World Cup will be a bit of a free-hit. But Marijne, in a conversation with this daily last month, said the focus should be on 'ourselves'. "Focus on ourselves, defend our structure, stay effective with penalty corners and how to be better. If we don't do those things, it doesn't matter who we face."
For close to two years, they were in danger of losing to themselves. Now, they have the chance to beat others.
