Asian Games 2023: Indian Women's Hockey Team Chief Coach Janneke Schopman suggests girls to make most of opportunity

Bengaluru, Sep 17: Indian Women's Hockey Team's Head Coach, Janneke Schopman, laid emphasis on utilizing the opportunity to its fullest potential as she addressed the team's approach to the forthcoming Hangzhou Asian Games.

This discussion took place on the most recent episode of the Hockey Te Charcha podcast. Also Read: Hardship and Dedication: The Untold Story of Rising Indian Women's Hockey Goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam

In 2020, Schopman - a former Netherlands international - joined the Indian Women's Hockey support team under the supervision of the then Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne while the team was gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics.

Fast forward to three years later, Janneke Schopman stands as the Chief Coach for the same team for the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, and the team is expected to put up a promising performance at this high-status tournament.

During her talk, Schopman openly talked about the team's preparations, handling pressure and meeting expectations. She even discussed the ramifications of being labelled as the favourites of the tournament on the team's performance. The tournament is set to commence on September 27, with India's opening match against Singapore.

Schopman, in her chat, said, "The difference will be made by the team's and individual player's mindset. Can we stay composed under testing conditions is what we've been grappling with lately, considering the absence of underdog status that we had during the Tokyo games and the newfound tag of tournament favourites."

She continued, "We've pondered over external distractions that can trip us up and strategies to counter them. As coaches and players, amidst all the external noise, we must not lose sight of the fact that our primary goal is to play hockey. Enjoying the journey is equally important.

"Winning is the hope, which I believe is achievable, but it's finally life and there can be setbacks. As long as we know we gave our best, individually and as a team, whatever results we get should be accepted. The focus should remain on just playing hockey and to creatively manage the pressure."

India will compete against Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong China, and Singapore in Pool A during the Asian Games, while Pool B consists of Japan, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia.

After their opening game against Singapore, the subsequent rounds for India will be on September 29 against Malaysia, on October 1 against Korea, and against Hong Kong China on October 3. The team is eyeing a top finish for an instant qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Coach Schopman highlighted the probability of encountering unforeseen challenges during the games and therefore, underscored the importance of seamless communication within the team to nip minor issues in the bud.

Reflecting upon her own journey as an Olympic and World Cup Gold medal winner and prior experience of leading the team to a Bronze in the 2022 Commonwealth Games as the Chief Coach, Schopman is familiar with high-pressure situations. However, the Asian Games are a new territory for her, as a coach and a player, which she is thrilled to explore.

She states further, "This being my maiden Asian Games, I believe that we can either regard every tournament as the most crucial one or just another competition. What truly matters is to seize the present moment and extract maximum out of it, which is exactly what, as a team, we are targeting at."

The team for the Asian Games will comprise veteran players such as Deep Grace Ekka, Captain Savita, and Vandana Katariya, along with several newcomers, including Deepika, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, and Bichu Devi.

Discussing her strategy for selecting the squad, Schopman said, "Selecting the top 18 out of the 34 players who were part of the National Camp is a challenging task. The consistency of the senior players and the steadily improving performance of the juniors only makes the task tougher."

She added, "Our aim at the Asian Games is to win and earn a spot for Paris. Success would be a testimony to the collective efforts of all 34 players and the training at the camp. Selection doesn't only depend on the players with the most caps. I consider the unique strengths each player brings in and how well they complement each other. The considerable improvement witnessed in some of the junior players' performance over the months has got them a place in the team."

The India Women's Hockey Team will kick off their campaign with a match against Singapore at 10.15 hrs IST, which will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network.