With the second half of the FIH Hockey Professional League 2024-25 quick approaching, we’re catching up with gamers and coaches of all 9 males’s and ladies’s groups to take the temperature of their season by the primary half and discover their targets for the remaining matches. In at the moment’s interview, we communicate with Rein van Eijk and Alix Gerniers, the coach and captain of the Belgium ladies’s crew, the Purple Panthers.
Rein van Eijk
What’s your tackle the primary a part of the FIH Hockey Professional League, although you didn’t actively participate in it?
I believe we did very nicely within the first a part of the professional league, although I solely began after the primary 4 video games and joined the crew in South America for the video games towards Argentina and Australia. Being within the place that we’re in, midway by the professional league, sitting in second place is an excellent place to be in. It’s nice to see that we’ve been capable of incorporate so many gifted younger gamers into the squad and that our efficiency has added to the upward pattern that the crew already confirmed on the Paris Olympics.
The event to date is extraordinarily thrilling, and we can not wait to get again to it. It says rather a lot concerning the state of worldwide ladies’s hockey and the competitiveness of it that we’ve 5 groups at prime of the professional league rankings inside 5 factors of one another. We’re pleased with our place, however hope to nonetheless enhance within the second half of the professional league when the professional League returns residence in Antwerp.
What are your ambitions for the upcoming block to be performed in June?
For the second block of the professional league to be performed in June, our objective very clearly is to make subsequent steps in our improvement, stay aggressive and play for the highest spots so long as doable. We hope to enhance our greatest rating but within the professional league as a lot as doable this version, by getting good ends in Antwerp.
What do you suppose would be the most difficult half?
Probably the most difficult a part of this leg of the professional league shall be balancing all of the totally different components that pull on our crew. We could have a shortened preparation in comparison with the winter block due to the Belgian league that’s going down till the top of Could, then we even have a European championship to arrange for, and on prime of that it’s clearly a closely dense program with eight video games in 16 days so we’ll want all of our gamers at their peak of their health able to carry out over right here.
What position do you hope the Belgian followers will play throughout this residence section of the Professional League?
We will’t wait to play in entrance of a Belgian residence crowd. We hope to win the gang over with our means of enjoying and we’ll want all of their help to ensure that us to realize our objectives of getting the very best end to date within the professional league. We hope the followers will carry us, and improve our starvation for this summer season’s European Championship, however extra importantly a World Cup at residence subsequent yr, much more.
Alix Gerniers:
What did you study from the primary a part of the Professional League? (Concerning the crew? Concerning the crew’s mentality? About its improvement?)
For the primary a part of this professional league block I believe it was essential to simply be along with the group and have some enjoyable . It isn’t simple after such an enormous event because the Olympics. Additionally there was lots of change within the employees in our crew, so an important was to get to know one another and construct a brand new crew for the longer term.
What would be the goal of the matches performed in June?
We’re 2nd within the rating proper now which is tremendous good for the crew. We haven’t set the objectives but however astray once we step on the pitch we go for a victory so I’d say focus sport by sport and attempt to finish as excessive as doable on this Professional League marketing campaign.
How does it really feel to play at residence?
It’s at all times tremendous good to play a protracted Professional league block in Belgium. The crew is tremendous excited and hopefully the supporters additionally 🙂 And it is usually nice to have these sort off video games to actually promote our sport in Belgium
How are you and the crew making ready mentally and bodily for the ultimate stretch?
We’re fortunate that Belgium is a small nation so we really see one another each week. We prepare 4-5 occasions collectively each week. Each week we will prepare on new issues, get to know one another higher on and off pitch and in addition for the crew ambiance it’s actually superb.
What would you prefer to say to the supporters who’ll be in Antwerp or watching from residence?
Hopefully we see one another in a number of weeks and we promise you thrilling video games. And for certain put one thing purple on.
