It was a rare, virtually comical sight. After the tip of the Orange Girls recreation in opposition to Belgium (2-2)the Orange Males had been honored as winners of the Professional League. The speaker introduced the champions. An applause sounded within the Antwerp sports activities advanced Wilrijkse Plein. And there they arrived. All 4 … coach Jeroen Delmée, video man Joep van Nuland, defender Timo Boers and striker Koen Bijen.
The foursome might see the enjoyable in it. Solemnly they accepted the cup – behind the Champions signal – from FIH director Marcos Hofmann and confirmed it to the general public. Willingly in addition they allowed themselves to be photographed. These photos will go into the group’s group app,” Bijen beamed after the particular ceremony. These photos will most likely be opened everywhere in the world and supplied with the mandatory commentary by the gamers of Orange, who had been lacking en masse as a result of they’re now having fun with a well-deserved trip after a grueling season.
‘I’ve already been on trip as soon as and can fly to Ibiza on Thursday,’ Bijen mentioned of his upcoming journey to the ‘soccer island’ within the Mediterranean. ‘It’s additionally a spot the place plenty of subject hockey gamers go today.’ Bijen smiles tellingly on the considered his trip. However this Sunday he was simply at dwelling and so he instantly raised his finger when requested who needed to obtain the Professional League cup in Antwerp. ‘In case you win a cup, you need to accumulate it,’ he believes.
Deservedly gained
Phrases to the identical impact are spoken by his coach Jeroen Delmée, who two weeks in the past, with out taking part in, noticed that the 35 factors he and his group scored had been sufficient to win the celebrated Nations League. ‘It’s fairly particular that you simply sit at dwelling on the bench watching and ready for one of many opponents to make a mistake,’ Delmée says.
‘However in the long run, it doesn’t matter the way you win it. It’s simply not straightforward to win the Professional League and we’ve accomplished it 3 times now within the final 4 years. Whenever you see how large the competitors is among the many males, we simply did rather well. We pressured ourselves to be honored right here in the present day. The truth that there are 4 of us is fairly particular. However once you win that cup, you even have to select it up.’
Joep van Nuland, Timo Boers, Koen Bijen and Jeroen Delmee Show The Professional League Cup. Picture: Bart Scheulderman (Worldsportpics)
Though that pickup is extra of a determine of speech, as a result of after the dutiful photographs had been taken, somebody from the group got here to say the cup. That was as a result of a couple of minutes later it was to be awarded to the Orange Girls, who earlier additionally needed to learn from a display screen that they had been winners of the Professional League. As a result of they nonetheless had a double with Belgium, they had been no less than with a full choice this Sunday in sun-drenched Antwerp when captain Pien Sanders confirmed the cup to the now virtually empty stadium. She didn’t thoughts, as a result of for the women just one factor mattered after the match: pack up and go.
Paddling on Ibiza
The airplane beckons for all internationals making an attempt to get contemporary in head and limbs within the coming weeks, earlier than the preparation in direction of the European Championship begins this summer season in Mönchengladbach. Because the Orange Males already completed the Professional League virtually two weeks in the past, they’ve already been capable of benefit from the obligatory relaxation. Bijen: “Particularly after the Video games we simply stored going. You reside a bit in a daze, going from subject to subject. Now we have now a really brief day off, which is sweet to get contemporary.’
It’s simply not straightforward to win the Professional League and we’ve accomplished it 3 times now within the final 4 years of Orange coach Jeroen Delmée.
However doing nothing in any respect just isn’t within the playing cards for Bijen. I’m not excellent at sitting nonetheless. And I additionally suppose: if I do nothing now, I’ll have to start out another time later. So I preserve paddling a bit, taking part in tennis, golf and I do my schedules. I’m an athlete in spite of everything, so I preserve transferring. Afterward in Ibiza I’m going to do nothing in any respect for some time, simply chill. However I feel there’s most likely a paddle courtroom there, too.’
Delmée just isn’t occurring trip. He’s staying in Brabant. ‘I’ve been away from dwelling a lot that I really like being dwelling for some time and with the ability to fiddle a bit. However the swap goes off. For me, it’s trip once I’m not being lived by a subject hockey schedule.’
