No more room in the Dutch team for Drummond and Van Geffen

Eva Drummond-De Goede (35) and Margot van Geffen (34) are no longer part of the selection of the Orange Women. Both HGC internationals were told in a personal conversation with national coach Paul van Ass that they have been left out of the group that is preparing for the Paris Olympic Games in the coming months.

Van Ass’ decision seems to bring an abrupt end to the international careers of Drummond and Van Geffen, numbers two and three in the Dutch all-time rankings with 266 and 265 international matches respectively. The two veterans won a truckload of top prizes in the Dutch national team. Together they won Olympic gold at the London (2012) and Tokyo (2020) Games and won three world titles with the Dutch team (in 2014, 2018 and 2022).

Drummond also won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and was twice named the best player in the world, in 2018 and 2019.

Drummond’s Dutch career was already under considerable pressure after the 2022 World Cup. The midfielder then temporarily distanced herself from the Dutch team in consultation with Van Ass, after a tough period in which she quickly recovered from a serious knee injury. However, Drummond only received another invitation from the national coach in October last year, and therefore missed the 2023 European Championship in Mönchengladbach. She did not play for the Dutch team for about a year and a half and only made her return in December, in the Pro League match in and against Argentina (1-4 win).

Difficult and emotional conversations

“It is not easy to tell internationals with such an enormous track record that they are no longer part of the Dutch team,” national coach Van Ass said in the KNHB press release. ‘These are obviously difficult conversations and emotional moments. Both players have meant a lot to Dutch and international hockey and are an example to many. We are extremely grateful to them for that. But my job as national coach is to select the very best players for the Olympic Games together with my staff. Unfortunately, we believe that Eva and Margot no longer belong there.’

In January of this year, Van Ass also decided to no longer invite veteran Lidewij Welten (247 international matches, 95 goals) to the Dutch team. For the 33-year-old striker from Kampong, a fifth participation in the Olympic Games went up in smoke. All in all, the Orange women will lose 778 international matches in experience with it within a few months victims van Welten, Drummond and Van Geffen.

New faces in training group

Van Ass’s brand new training group contains 27 players who today (Tuesday) start preparing for the FIH Pro League in Utrecht and Amsterdam (June 22 to June 30) and the Olympic Games in Paris (July 26 to August 11). ). Compared to the most recent selection, with which the FIH Pro League was played in India in February, captain Xan de Waard is back from a foot injury and goalkeeper Julia Remmerswaal is also back. From the Dutch Juniors, Eline Jansen (Kampong), Daantje de Kruijff (Hurley) and Mikki Roberts (Tilburg) have been invited as trainee players to train.

Training group Orange Ladies