Sjoerd Marijne took over a side, at the start of this year, that had lost twice as many matches as they had won in 2025. The confidence was at the nadir. There were cracks in the dressing room. Almost a dozen players were injured.

Eight months later, the same team embarked on an inspired run at the World Cup, losing just once in six games, holding their fort against powerhouses, and recording their best-ever finish in 52 years — fifth.

In an interview with , Marijne explains how he turned around the team’s fortunes.

Excerpts:

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What did you tell the players in the huddle after the win against Germany?

I said to the girls, listen, we are now number five in the world (as per the World Cup standings), be very proud of yourself, but also it doesn’t stop here. We now have a next tournament, so be really happy and take that confidence with you to the Asian Games. Also take a good rest in the following days, but we can do even better than this.

When you joined the expectations were very different from this team. What has changed?

I think that culture has changed for them and also the way they can and must behave. That means like moments to relax and have fun with each other and enjoy what you’re doing. Those are the changes we have made in the team after I did some, let’s say, research, evaluation about the years before (I came). My biggest task was to create a unit.

You said you did research about the team over the last few years. So what did you find out?

The most important thing is they weren’t a unit. A lot of things happened amongst them. I don’t want to go too deep into it because it’s a period I was not there. And I can’t talk about previous coaches, what they did or whatever. I don’t want to be negative about that. For me, the assignment from Hockey India was, ‘Sjoerd, you have to create unity and they must show to the outside world that they are enjoying and that they are a team’.

When you took over, many players were injured. While at the World Cup, what stood out was that they could match other teams physically…

I think 11 or 12 players (were injured). The moment I got the assignment, actually before that, I told Hockey India, I need Wayne Lombard (strength and conditioning expert) in the staff. He’s overseeing the whole medical and physical side. I leave that 100% to him. He’s the guy who’s responsible for this. We brought them step by step back to the level that we want and even higher. That’s also what you can see against Germany; we kept pushing, pushing, pushing. The girls also feel very confident with Wayne. If he says you can run more, the girls will run more. And he has a very good team with Rodet Yila and Ciara Yila (both scientific advisors).

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Was the technical part of coaching them easier compared to the physical part, given that there were injuries and they had to reach a certain level?

It’s always a combination. I must say that India has the technical capabilities, but not always the right ones. Like, for instance, India is very focused on individual dribbles and that is not what you need at the highest level.

If you watch the Netherlands, they are the closest to the men’s hockey game. What also makes the Netherlands different, besides the physical part, is the individual skill — the passing and trapping. The ball is always flat. They only need two touches. That’s what I keep telling them (Indian players): “Listen, it’s not about your dribbles. It’s about these things.”

Like against Germany, towards the end of the match, we had a four against one (situation) and we didn’t score the ball because of a poor pass. The Netherlands would definitely have scored that goal. I want them to understand this is what we need to do to really win games.

Despite this team still being a work in progress, did it surprise you that they lost just one match in the entire tournament?

No, the fight doesn’t surprise me because they know I want more and more and more, and that I don’t accept when we don’t fight. We hadn’t played China since the time I began coaching the team so I was very curious what our level would be against them.

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What do you think that the level was?

I think we did really well. Only in the third quarter, they were better. But the rest, we controlled the match and we had to win that match. I was a little disappointed at the end that we didn’t get three points. Everybody was happy with the draw because it was a long time and felt like, ‘Hey, we are close to them, we can win against them.’ But yeah, then we also have to execute.

Is the execution from the attackers the next step this team will have to take?

No, for me, the last match against Germany, I was happy for more reasons. Not only the result, but also what we have shown in ball possession and what we have created. I think that still needs to be better. But that is the most difficult part, to also control the game in ball possession and not only non-ball possession. So, our non-ball possession was really good this tournament. Now, we also have to create more and execute more.

In your last stint as the coach, good results came towards the end of the stint at the Tokyo Olympics. Now, the good results have come at the start of your journey. Is that more encouraging?

If they let me do my thing, what goes really well, I will be at my best. I am working in the best environment right now and I am really happy the way it is going now. It’s always been like that in my career. The less interruptions from the outside world, the better it is for me and the team.