Netherlands:

Secretly, she was hoping for a spot in the selection for the European Championships in Mönchengladbach. But that proved unattainable for Mikki Roberts (23) anyway as she recovers from surgery on her hip. Still, the two-time international still has a chance at silverware this summer. Not as a player, but as a coach: her boys of Tilburg JO16 are in the semifinals of the NK Jeugd, against Cartouche on Saturday. ‘There is so much talent in this team,‘

She almost sounds a bit like a young version of Marieke Dijkstra, the successful coach of Den Bosch’s women. With just as much fire and drive, Tilburg defender Roberts speaks about her boys. Together with Joep van Nuland, video analyst for the Orange Men, she prepares the team for perhaps a unique prize: the national title.

For four seasons, the trainer duo has been the silent foundation of this team’s success. Under their leadership, the boys slowly climbed to the top of the Dutch youth. Four times in recent years they reached the semifinals of an NK, on the field and in the hall. Each time the finals turned out to be just a bridge too far. But this could be the season they finally reap the rewards, Roberts thinks.

Mikki Roberts has played two international matches for the Dutch national team so far. Photo: Willem Vernes

Convincing win in quarterfinals

Last Saturday, in the quarterfinal against Gooische, it seemed at first that things would go wrong. Within a few minutes Tilburg trailed 1-0. But her team did not panic for a moment and turned the game around completely, says Roberts, who saw how Tilburg JO16 convincingly won the match 6-2.

‘In the end, it turned out to be this team’s most convincing win at an NK in all those years. They have now shown for the first time at an NK what they have to offer. A lot of individual class. Speed. Quite a bit of scoring ability. This team just has a perfect mix of everything. They are so in tune with each other that they know exactly what to expect from each other and how to put each other to their strengths. You can also clearly see the experience they have gained in the meantime. There is so much talent in this team,’ says Roberts, who has drawn a line under the European Championships in Mönchengladbach (Aug. 8-17) following hip surgery. She won’t make it to the start of the competition either, she already knows.

Tilburg JO16 plays the semifinals of the NK on Saturday, against Cartouche. Photo: Bart van der Ruijt

The nice thing about training youth is that you see how they work all week on what you’ve taught them in training. Mikki Roberts

Roberts is the textbook example of someone who is infatuated with ball and stick. She already trains with Tilburg four times a week and puts in extra hours on the court to perfect her drag flick. In recent years she has been part of the training squad of the Dutch Junior Team and sometimes the Dutch national team. No one would think it crazy if she used her free hours to unwind. But despite her busy schedule, Roberts is on the field several times a week with JO16.

‘The nice thing about training youth is that you see how they are working all week on what you’ve taught them in training. For example, sometimes we practice on the scope. A week later you see someone scooping half the game. That’s what it’s all about: their development. That is just super fun to see. You also notice that more and more leadership is developing within the team. They are getting older, more mature. You see them grow by the week.’

Mikki Roberts netted a penalty corner for Tilburg. Photo: Willem Vernes

Does a coaching career lie ahead?

Once upon a time, Roberts began as a coach of a girls’ team. Nowadays she has been coaching the boys for years. She gets energy from it.

‘At the beginning of the season, we all got together. Of their own accord, the boys expressed the ambition to reach at least the quarterfinals again. From there they wanted to discover what else was possible. Their ambition is contagious. It gives Joep and me the energy to get the best out of them every training session. To help them reach their goals.’

As a top hockey player, Roberts can last another 10 years or so. But what happens if she decides to quit? Does a coaching career then lie ahead? Asked about her ambitions, her field hockey heart speaks again.

‘Quitting field hockey I don’t see it happening for a long time yet. One day it will come, of course, but I haven’t really thought about that yet. In any case, I love training. It gives me a lot of pleasure. When I stop playing myself, I can’t imagine never being on a field hockey field again. I would probably get bored. But that is still so far away… The only thing I know now is that I will still be training the boys next season.