I want to contribute to women in sport in general and in India: Gierts

Sofie Gierts has been astir hockey for a agelong time. A erstwhile Belgian prima with much than 100 planetary caps, a uncommon pistillate caput manager successful the competitory satellite of men’s hockey with Belgium’s top-tier Royal Uccle, adjunct with the Mannheimer HC women’s squad successful Germany and laminitis of the Antwerp Diamonds FC, a girls-only shot club, Gierts wears aggregate hats.

And she is crippled for more, joining Delhi SG Pipers arsenic the main manager for their women’s squad successful the Hockey India League. The 46-year aged spoke to The Hindu astir her plans and her views connected Indian hockey. Excerpts:

What brings you to the Hockey India League, however did it happen?

I’ve been pursuing the HIL since it existed the archetypal clip around. It was a large happening successful hockey, Tom Boon was drafted for $80,000 oregon something, it was a large thing. I thought it was a large thought to boost the crippled successful India and I ever had it astatine the backmost of my caput that we should bash it for women arsenic well. We offered the thought to the FIH but that again is difficult. And erstwhile they launched it for women past year, I wanted to beryllium a portion of that.

I privation to lend to women successful athletics successful wide and successful India. I was successful Bhubaneswar a fewer years agone arsenic the teacher for a people and I thought the imaginable was truthful amazing. It’s a large portion of my life, to put successful women’s sport. I was an planetary subordinate but I was a pistillate successful the federation, truthful I was not ever having what we needed.

I bash this successful Belgium, wherever I utilized to manager a men’s team. I besides founded a shot nine successful Antwerp, lone for girls, due to the fact that the men’s teams didn’t privation girls. My main operator is to travel present and lend thing that is indispensable for girls to play sports connected a precocious level. And we had Emma Puvrez and Elodie Picard playing past twelvemonth — they are my hockey daughters, they play with my girl present – and they told maine truthful galore stories astir it.

I had sent my CV past twelvemonth besides but cipher replied. But past the Delhi SG Pipers called up this clip and I was lone consenting to bash it.

So what was the feedback you got?

Well, the troubles that person been mentioned, I don’t know. due to the fact that I didn’t acquisition it. Of people India is antithetic from Europe. But what I did perceive from the Belgian girls was truthful overmuch positivity, truthful overmuch caring astir the Indian players and admiration for them, they felt similar they could truly lend to something. So that was a bully thing.

Have you seen the Indian women’s team? What are your impressions?

Yeah, of course, I travel planetary hockey. Unfortunately, you spot them lone during the large tournaments astatine the venue and hockey is not broadcast each the clip everywhere. So it’s a spot hard to travel sometimes. But I saw them during the Pro League successful Antwerp. It’s a shame they’re retired now. But I truly bask watching them due to the fact that it’s specified a antithetic benignant of hockey. I besides played a batch against India and I’m ever impressed by their abilities, not conscionable technically but besides however to deed the ball, however to grip the ball. It’s thing we person forgotten successful Europe, we’re not trained to that immoderate more. It’s each powerfulness and speed, we’re losing that touch. And I deliberation satellite hockey needs both.

When I played against India, we were not astatine oregon adjacent the apical and truthful for us, it was a large moment, we knew it would beryllium tough. Because against India, we ne'er cognize what’s going to happen. It’s chaotic, it tin spell everywhere. When you play Australia oregon Germany, you person an thought astir the play, the structure. That’s 1 happening that’s inactive determination – but that chaos tin besides beryllium a strength.

What are your plans for the Hockey India League and your team?

It’s precise hard to accidental close present ‘I privation to play this benignant oregon benignant of hockey’. First, we bash not person the afloat squad yet. Second, I americium not a manager that imposes my thought oregon tells the girls ‘this is what we person to do’.

I americium much of a manager that says, ‘this is the prime we have, let’s reenforce it.’ And from that we volition find a mode to person a squad that is competitive. I americium a manager that is astatine my champion erstwhile I tin subordinate to my players — I privation them to explicit what they similar oregon not, I privation them to consciousness well, beryllium acceptable to beryllium pushed to instrumentality decisions connected the pitch.

You are among the uncommon women coaches to caput a men’s squad astatine the apical level. How antithetic is it handling the two?

From the outside, it tin beryllium precise different, due to the fact that men and women are not the same. They are different. But from a coaching perspective, I conscionable bash the job. My occupation is to marque definite my players bash the champion they can. As a coach, I person to accommodate to them, marque definite they execute astatine their highest possibilities. And it is the aforesaid for men and women. I indispensable accidental that successful Belgium, it has ne'er been a question oregon a treatment due to the fact that of my gender. But yes, truthful galore things are different. The dynamics, the emotions. Then again, it’s each astir the narration you physique with players. For me, I person arsenic overmuch affectional issues with the men’s squad arsenic with the women. They conscionable explicit it otherwise but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.

What bash you deliberation needs to beryllium done to bring much women into men’s sports?

I deliberation it starts with women getting an opportunity. For me, it was rather by accident. And I could easy person said nary due to the fact that I had ne'er coached a men’s team. But I said yes due to the fact that I knew I had to bash it for different women, to amusement it’s possible.