Janneke Schopman officially quit as chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team on February 23, bringing the curtains down on her two-year tenure as the first-ever woman in the role.
It had been a roller-coaster for the Dutchwoman, stepping up from analytical coach to compatriot Sjoerd Marijne after the Tokyo Olympics in a rare instance of continuity in Indian hockey. Her emotional outburst in the media after the team’s last Pro League match in Rourkela triggered a debate on both the functioning of the federation and women in Indian sports. The arguments ranged from a blanket criticism of everything being wrong with the administration to questioning Janneke’s abilities and credibility. Truth, as always, might lie somewhere in-between.
Professional sports is tough business, more so in team events, one that requires a hundred different things to fall in place, at the right time and moment, to ensure elusive success. But the parameter to measure that success is just one –results. As a coach, Janneke’s tenure saw the Indian women manage to do the first to a large extent. The second, however, remained a mixed bag.
