Sofie Gierts has been around hockey for a long time. A former Belgian star with more than 100 international caps, a rare female head coach in the competitive world of men’s hockey with Belgium’s top-tier Royal Uccle, assistant with the Mannheimer HC women’s squad in Germany and founder of the Antwerp Diamonds FC, a girls-only football club, Gierts wears multiple hats.
And she is game for more, joining Delhi SG Pipers as the chief coach for their women’s team in the Hockey India League. The 46-year old spoke to The Hindu about her plans and her views on Indian hockey. Excerpts:
What brings you to the Hockey India League, how did it happen?
I’ve been following the HIL since it existed the first time around. It was a big thing in hockey, Tom Boon was drafted for $80,000 or something, it was a big thing. I thought it was a great idea to boost the game in India and I always had it at the back of my mind that we should do it for women as well. We offered the idea to the FIH but that again is difficult. And when they launched it for women last year, I wanted to be a part of that.
I want to contribute to women in sport in general and in India. I was in Bhubaneswar a few years ago as the instructor for a course and I thought the potential was so amazing. It’s a big part of my life, to invest in women’s sport. I was an international player but I was a woman in the federation, so I was not always having what we needed.
I do this in Belgium, where I used to coach a men’s team. I also founded a football club in Antwerp, only for girls, because the men’s teams didn’t want girls. My main driver is to come here and contribute something that is necessary for girls to play sports on a high level. And we had Emma Puvrez and Elodie Picard playing last year — they are my hockey daughters, they play with my daughter now – and they told me so many stories about it.
I had sent my CV last year also but nobody replied. But then the Delhi SG Pipers called up this time and I was only willing to do it.
Sofie Gierts.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
So what was the feedback you got?
Well, the troubles that have been mentioned, I don’t know. because I didn’t experience it. Of course India is different from Europe. But what I did hear from the Belgian girls was so much positivity, so much caring about the Indian players and admiration for them, they felt like they could really contribute to something. So that was a good thing.
Have you seen the Indian women’s team? What are your impressions?
Yeah, of course, I follow international hockey. Unfortunately, you see them only during the big tournaments at the venue and hockey is not broadcast all the time everywhere. So it’s a bit difficult to follow sometimes. But I saw them during the Pro League in Antwerp. It’s a shame they’re out now. But I really enjoy watching them because it’s such a different style of hockey. I also played a lot against India and I’m always impressed by their abilities, not just technically but also how to hit the ball, how to handle the ball. It’s something we have forgotten in Europe, we’re not trained to that any more. It’s all power and speed, we’re losing that touch. And I think world hockey needs both.
When I played against India, we were not at or near the top and so for us, it was a great moment, we knew it would be tough. Because against India, we never know what’s going to happen. It’s chaotic, it can go everywhere. When you play Australia or Germany, you have an idea about the play, the structure. That’s one thing that’s still there – but that chaos can also be a strength.
What are your plans for the Hockey India League and your team?
It’s very difficult to say right now ‘I want to play this kind or style of hockey’. First, we do not have the full squad yet. Second, I am not a coach that imposes my idea or tells the girls ‘this is what we have to do’.
I am more of a coach that says, ‘this is the quality we have, let’s reinforce it.’ And from that we will find a way to have a team that is competitive. I am a coach that is at my best when I can relate to my players — I want them to express what they like or not, I want them to feel well, be ready to be pushed to take decisions on the pitch.
Sofie Gierts.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
You are among the rare women coaches to head a men’s team at the top level. How different is it handling the two?
From the outside, it can be very different, because men and women are not the same. They are different. But from a coaching perspective, I just do the job. My job is to make sure my players do the best they can. As a coach, I have to adapt to them, make sure they perform at their highest possibilities. And it is the same for men and women. I must say that in Belgium, it has never been a question or a discussion because of my gender. But yes, so many things are different. The dynamics, the emotions. Then again, it’s all about the relationship you build with players. For me, I have as much emotional issues with the men’s team as with the women. They just express it differently but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
What do you think needs to be done to bring more women into men’s sports?
I think it starts with women getting an opportunity. For me, it was quite by accident. And I could easily have said no because I had never coached a men’s team. But I said yes because I knew I had to do it for other women, to show it’s possible.
Published – December 29, 2025 11:14 pm IST
