In 2012, the year Arjan Veurink took charge of Twente’s women’s team, Sarina Wiegman’s ADO Den Haag won the Dutch double – the now England Women head coach’s first Eredivisie title and first KNVB Cup as a manager. The following season Veurink got the better of the woman who he would later join as an assistant, winning the league with Twente. One week later, though, Wiegman’s side denied him the chance to match her exploits by beating his side in the cup final.
This was Veurink’s introduction to the woman with whom he has gone on to form a formidable coaching partnership. Initially they were adversaries, vying for the biggest domestic prizes. “We played against each other a lot,” says Veurink. “It’s always a lovely question to ask her [about that], I’m always joking a little bit about that.”
