Janneke Schopman resigns as chief coach of Indian women’s hockey team days after speaking out against treatment

Days after Janneke Schopman spoke out about the treatment she had received from Hockey India, the Olympic gold medallist stepped down from her role as the chief coach of Indian women’s hockey team.

The Indian Express had recently reports how Schopman had broken down as she recollected her rocky stint with the Indian women’s hockey team. She had said that India was ‘extremely difficult for a woman’.

The first female to coach the Indian hockey team, who had been at the helm of the women’s team for two-and-a-half years, had claimed she felt ‘alone a lot in the last two years’, wasn’t ‘valued and respected’ by her employers Hockey India. She had also pointed out that the women’s team was receiving differential treatment as compared to the men’s hockey team.

Indian women’s hockey team captain Savita Punia with teammate Bichu Devi Kharibam and head coach Janneke Schopman during a training session ahead of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 match against USA, at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Talking about dealing with officials in Hockey India, Schopman had said: “Very hard, very hard. Because, you know, I come from a culture where women are respected and valued. I don’t feel that here.”

A statement published by Hockey India said that the 46-year-old Dutch coach had submitted her resignation to Hockey India President, Padma Shri Dilip Tirkey, after the conclusion of Indian women’s hockey team’s outing in the home leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Odisha.

Schopman had taken over the reins of the women’s team from compatriot Sjoerd Marine, under whom India had finished in a historic fourth position at the Tokyo Olympics.

“At the back of the disappointment at the recent Olympic Qualifiers, her resignation has paved the way for Hockey India to look for a suitable Chief Coach for the Women’s Hockey Team who could prepare the Indian Team for the next Women’s World Cup in 2026 and Los Angeles Olympics 2028. It is time to begin a fresh chapter in Indian women’s hockey with the players progress being at the centre of our focus,” the Hockey India statement read.

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