It was the best of redemption acts, but Janneke Schopman insists she doesn't think of it this way. Schopman-coached Odisha Warriors became the first ever champions of the Women's Hockey India League, beating JSW Soorma Hockey Club 2-1 in an engaging final in Ranchi.
It's the same Ranchi and the same stadium where last year Schopman's India stumbled in their Olympic qualification journey against Japan. It was also a painful blow for Schopman's coaching career but a year on, she is full of happiness.
"I don't look back, I came here because I really like the franchise. The fact that they only have a women's team, the fact that it was Odisha, it's close to my heart. The state has done so much for hockey. If I can contribute to bringing some pride to Odisha then it's a big honour for me," Schopman told journalists after the match.
She's right of course. There is no point in looking back but there's no denying the cinematic nature of her vindication as coach. There is also no denying that India's failure to qualify for the Olympics came under her coaching. She was expected to take the national team a level up since the Tokyo Olympics but instead, India, at least in the big tournaments, couldn't deliver on the promise. Under her, India played good hockey, but inconsistency derailed her ship. It was a painful defeat, with her reign ending post her allegations of gender discrimination. Hockey India never completely addressed her concerns and accepted her resignation stating: "It is time to begin a fresh chapter in Indian women's hockey with the players progress being at the centre of our focus."
At that time, nobody would've bet that Schopman would return to India and taste success.
But life always shows a way. The much-awaited Women's Hockey India League began and there she was, back again in the country after accepting a challenge to build a team of foreign and Indian players and guiding them to the trophy.
It was not a perfect team, at least on the field. But none of that matters now. Before the tournament began, the questions were how Schopman could bounce back after the setback with the national team. Couldn't Odisha Warriors have picked a different coach with less baggage?
To her credit, she was involved heavily in the auction and picked a solid team that looked like favourites even before they stepped on the field. There was Yibbi Jansen, the best dragflicker in the world. There was Jocelyn Bartram, one of the best goalkeepers. There was Victoria Sauze, one of the best midfielders. And there were the likes of Neha Goyal, Sonika, Baljeet Kaur, Nisha, Deep Grace Ekka -- the best of the young and experienced from India.
But assembling a team is one thing. Living up to the exceptions is another thing altogether. While the Warriors played to their strengths, thanks to Jansen's penalty corner goals, they finished second best in the league below the superior team in Soorma, who played free-flowing, attacking hockey. Before the final, the big question was their over-reliance on dragflicks and not scoring the field goals. Schopman once again took on the challenge and defied it.
Soorma was successful in denying the penalty corner opportunities for Jansen but Warriors responded by scoring two field goals. Young forward Rutuja Pisal showed immense composure and finishing skills to score twice. First, an instinctive flick to give her team the lead in the 20th minute and then a powerful strike four minutes from full time to ensure victory.
Schopman knew about Rutuja's potential when she was under her in the junior program and the team paid 4.9 lakh for her in the auction. She didn't score before the final but there was no loss of faith in her. "I know Rutuja for a very long time. She was in the junior program when I was coaching. She's someone with a lot of energy, works really hard for the team. She's not always lucky because she's very rushed in the end phase. But today, she was exactly where she needed to be, I was very happy with her performances throughout the tournament. Today, she got the reward, which was really nice," Schopman said.
After the final hooter on Sunday, the camera showed Schopman, whose face showed genuine happiness. There were no big emotions, no yelling, no tears, nothing like 'I proved you wrong'. Post match, she was not keen to put the focus on her. "I'm happy for the girls, also for myself, and the staff. Everyone works hard. I'm here because I love hockey and coaching. It was a great challenge to bring players from different countries together, but it was fun to do. I'm happy we won and happy for the girls," she said.
Happy, loving hockey, and fun. Schopman ends January 2025 with these words. Who would've thought about it a year back?