New national coach Paul van Es began his first training period with Dutch hockey players today. In his 21-player selection, one name is missing: Eva de Goede.

The 254-time international was not included in the training set in consultation with Van Ass. “She signaled to me that she didn’t know if she really wanted to get in,” van Ase says.

“She came back from a serious injury and it cost her a lot of energy. Our topic with the national team is space. So if she needs that space, she has to take it.”

Last month, De Guidi, 33, said she had doubts about her future at Orange: “I’m not sure yet if the fire is still burning and if I want to do everything for it again. I still have to Think about it. “Think about it.”

Van Es confirms that there is no final farewell to Orange yet. “She needs time to think about many things. She will also get married in February. Things change in your life when you are over thirty. I need space to ask myself: Do this I still want this.”

Van Ass admits that such a decision also carries a risk: “You create space to see if you can still do it at 100 percent. But the younger players have the opportunity to make sure that they are at least equal.”

De Guede sustained a serious knee injury in November of last year: a ruptured ACL and meniscus damage. It was a huge blow for Nadi Hamdan, but, contrary to expectations, she was fit in time for the World Cup last July.

There she won the world title with Dutch hockey players. This numerous award was on De Goede’s impressive list of achievements, which includes three Olympic titles, three world titles, and four European titles.

Van As, the former national hockey coach, was appointed women’s coach in June. He succeeded Jamilon Mulders, who took over temporarily from Alison Annan. She had to leave after the Tokyo Olympics when the evaluation showed that there was a culture of fear within the team.

Until this month, Van Ass was also the HGC men’s coach. In his first practice with the women, he selected 21 players, all of whom were already part of the World Cup selection or were backups.

With this selection, which he may expand, the national coach is working for the Pro League, which begins for the Netherlands in mid-December with two matches against Argentina. Next year, the European Championships will follow in Germany, where Orange can qualify for the Olympics in Paris.