Third stint begins for Sjoerd Marijne as coach of the Indian women's hockey team

Sjoerd Marijne has been appointed as coach of the Indian women's hockey team for the third time. Marijne, who first coached the Indian girls back in 2017, was subsequently moved to the men's camp following Roelant Oltmans' departure. Despite guiding the men to a gold-medal win in the 2017 Asia Cup and a bronze in the Hockey World League Finals, the Dutchman was moved back to the women's team in May 2018 after the men failed to register a podium finish in the Commonwealth Games.

Marijne delivered instant results with the Indian girls winning silver in the Asian Champions Trophy a couple of weeks following his reappointment as women's coach. The Women in Blue narrowly missed out on a semifinal place in the 2018 FIH World Cup in London.

Marijne's finest moment came during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when he guided the Rani Rampal-led side to a historic fourth-place finish, but decided to return home immediately after.

Janneke Schopman, who was the Analytical Coach during Marijne's tenure, then took over the reins of the side. The Indian women failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics via the Olympic route following a 0-4 loss to China in the 2023 Asian Games semifinal.

Schopman's chargers were also unable to qualify for Paris through the Olympic qualifiers, while also performing poorly in the FIH Pro League.

Harendra Singh, who took over as coach of the Indian women's hockey team after Janneke Schopman's resignation, left under a cloud in December 2025 amid a host of allegations that emanated from within the team.

"We look forward to a fruitful stint" - Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey welcomes Sjoerd Marijne as coach of the Indian women's hockey team

Sjoerd Marijne will need to prepare the girls for the WC qualifiers and the Asian Games - Source: Getty

Hockey India President, Dr Dilip Tirkey, has welcomed Sjoerd Marijne back into the women's camp, stressing that the process was expedited by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in light of the World Cup qualifiers.

"We welcome Sjoerd Marijne, and the entire support staff to the Indian Hockey family. We extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) for expediting the appointment in order to ensure the team's preparations for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers is not hampered," he was quoted as saying by Hockey India "Emphasis has been laid on fitness of the team which was one of the key reasons for Indian Women's historic performance in Tokyo. We look forward to a fruitful stint," the HI President stated.

Wayne Lombard, who had a huge role to play in the team's success during Marijne's earlier stint as coach, will also be returning. As Scientific Advisor, the South African assisted the Indian girls build on their strength, fitness and stamina in no small measure.

Former Argentinian midfielder Matias Vila will assist Sjoerd Marijne as Analytical Coach of the Indian women's hockey team.

The World Cup qualifiers are scheduled for March, which will be followed by the Asian Games later in the year. The Indian girls will also be hoping to win the Nations Cup, which would enable them to re-enter the FIH Pro League

Edited by Subhashish Majumdar