In all international matches since Athens 2004, the Dutch have lost only 19 times in 312 Test matches, scoring more than 1,020 goals. However, it is their record since the Rio 2016 final that stands out: 174 matches, 155 wins, 13 draws and just six defeats. They have failed to score on only three occasions in that time.
Overall, their undefeated percentage since Hollie Pearne-Webb’s winning shoot-out goal in 2016 is over 96.5 per cent. Wikipedia pages on “Who are the greatest sports teams?” should be updated henceforth.
So, how to beat the Dutch? “You just have to say, ‘We will take the fight to you, work hard and we will have chances’,” GB coach David Ralph said after their quarter-final defeat. “You have to be brave and try to put them under pressure. The Dutch don’t get that very often.”
After their semi-final win, Dutch star Felice Albers was asked a question from a Caribbean TV station. “They asked me why we have been world No 1 for so long,” said Albers, who scored one of hockey’s greatest team goals in the 2022 Women’s World Cup final. “That was not a simple question. Everyone wants to beat us.”
One of the reasons for such dominance is that the Netherlands has the world’s best club system and league. Unlike in England, Dutch youth play only at clubs, not schools. There are around 350 clubs in a tightly populated country, including Kampong, the Netherlands’ biggest with eight pitches and over 3,500 members. That’s an abundance of fervent, stick-skilled talent.
Their senior success relies on player awareness, intelligent passing and 3D circle creativity. “We are the best team if we play at 100 per cent. If we play at 70 per cent, everybody thinks, ‘Oh, we will win anyway’,” says Joosje Burg, who plays at perennial club champions Den Bosch.
