'A very beautiful process': Sjoerd Marijne all praise for senior players for mentoring India's young hockey stars

Fresh off India's Women's FIH Nations Cup title-winning campaign against New Zealand, head coach Sjoerd Marijne credited mental conditioning, individual guidance and a strong culture of mentorship within the squad as key pillars behind the team's success. Speaking after the victory, Marijne stressed the growing importance of the mental aspect of the game and revealed how the coaching staff has focused on understanding players beyond their on-field abilities.

“Yeah, the mental side is a very important part for me. We did small things on this and that is working with profiling. That I know the players better about what kind of person are they. What kind of preference do they have, on what way to approach, what are they doing, how to approach them when they're under stress. These kind of things, we have helped with that.” The Dutch coach, however, believes the most valuable support comes from within the team itself. He pointed to an example from the semi-final when a younger player was struggling under pressure.

“I think a younger player was struggling in the semi-final. She made some mistakes and Savita Punia was on the sidelines. She didn't play the first half. And I said, please, can you have a talk with her? If a senior player is doing that and helping a junior player, that is worth so much because it comes from inside the team.” Marijne praised veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia and several senior players for taking responsibility in nurturing younger members of the squad.

“And I think that is something, a role from Savita, but many more who take up that role. Almost every senior is guiding the juniors or the girls who have 50 caps or less in that process.” Calling the atmosphere within the squad ‘a very beautiful process’, the coach highlighted the contribution of captain Salima Tete as well. "Salima is very busy with the young players. And that's also very good to see with her experience. And she knows exactly what is required on the highest level."

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Marijne also acknowledged the role played by the support staff in creating an environment where players receive guidance from multiple sources. "And of course, we as coaching staff, we have a very experienced staff. Matias Vila, more than 300 caps. Taeke Takuma, 240 caps. They also help them on a personal level. I really am a big believer of individual guidance."

‘Hockey India League gives opportunity to young players’

Meanwhile, captain Salima Tete highlighted the importance of domestic competitions, particularly the Hockey India League (HIL), in identifying and developing future stars for the national team. “Definitely HIL is very helpful for us. And whoever doesn't get a chance to come to the camp, they get a chance to play in HIL and they select the players and bring them to the camp.” Salima pointed to recent examples of players progressing from domestic competitions to the national setup, saying the league offers aspiring players a valuable pathway to the Indian team. "So definitely there is a chance for us and also a very good opportunity. Because not every player gets a chance to come to the camp. So that's why we play HIL."

The skipper expressed happiness at seeing emerging talents make the most of their opportunities and contribute alongside established internationals. “The young players are getting a chance now and now they are doing so well. So definitely it feels good for us that Hockey India has started such a good opportunity for us.”