As the countdown to the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup City of Santiago 2025 intensifies, Netherlands captain Noor van den Nieuwenhof has delivered a clear message: the defending champions have arrived in Chile with one ambition — to win gold again.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Noor underlined the team’s unwavering expectations. “As Netherlands, we always go for the gold medal. We really want to defend our title,” she said. “We’ve worked extremely hard over the last couple of months, and now we want to enjoy the World Cup and make the Dutch proud again.”
With the Netherlands carrying the weight of being reigning world champions, Noor acknowledged that pressure is both external and internal — but also a driving force behind their performance. “There’s a lot of pressure because we are the current world champions, and we put that pressure on ourselves too. For us, it’s important to adapt quickly and stay true to who we are as a team.”
Arriving in Chile has only fuelled their excitement. Noor praised the atmosphere, hospitality, and passion for hockey in the host nation. “It feels amazing to be here. It’s such a nice country, and we love seeing how hockey is growing here. We love playing in tournaments like these.”
As the Netherlands prepare to embark on another title quest, the captain shared a heartfelt message to supporters back home. “We hope you’re cheering for us in the Netherlands, and we hope to see some orange in the stadium as well. We’re going to defend our title for you. And good luck to all the other teams — we’ll see you on the pitch.”
Focused, united, and ready for Santiago, the young Dutch squad aims to once again stand at the top of the world.
Photo Credit: Zinzi van Duijnhoven
