Hockey India announced on Friday that Sjoerd Marijne has been appointed as the Chief Coach of the Indian Women's Hockey Team. The Dutchman returns to the team after a remarkable performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where the squad finished fourth in only their second appearance at the event in over 36 years.

Marijne will have Matias Vila as the Analytical Coach. Vila is a former midfielder from Argentina who debuted internationally in 1997 and played in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics for his country. He has been coaching for the past twenty years.

Dr. Wayne Lombard will also return to Indian hockey as the Scientific Advisor and Head of Athletic Performance. He will be assisted by Rodet Yila and Ciara Yila, who will both serve as Scientific Advisors.

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On his return to India, after a historic stint between 2017 to 2021 where the Indian Women's Team rose in world ranking making it to top 10, Marijne said: "It’s great to be back. After 4.5 years, I return with fresh energy and a clear vision to support the team’s growth and help the players achieve their full potential on the world stage."

Marijne's first big challenge as Chief Coach will be the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad, Telangana from 8th March to 14th March 2026. Marijne will arrive in India on 14th January while the National Coaching Camp begins on 19th January in SAI, Bengaluru.

Speaking about his appointment, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, "We welcome Sjoerd Marijne, and the entire support staff to the Indian Hockey family. We extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) for expediting the appointment in order to ensure the team's preparations for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers is not hampered. Emphasis has a been laid on fitness of the team which was one of the key reasons for Indian Women's historic performance in Tokyo. We look forward to a fruitful stint."

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Hockey India Secretary General Shri Bhola Nath Singh reflected similar views and said, "We wish Sjoerd Marijne and the rest of the support staff the very best in their endeavours. Sjoerd comes with the understanding of the team, many players in the core group have already played under him. We now expect this team to perform well especially with the Asian Games coming up and the World Cup Qualifier."