Sytse van der Zwan is biased and believes that Canoe Polo is more thrilling than other team sports in the Netherlands.
A bold claim, especially when you come from the land of Johan Cruyff, the genius of Total Football, and Olympic field hockey star Eva Drummond.
But Van der Zwan, who will lead the Dutch women's Canoe Polo team at The World Games Chengdu 2025, stands by it.
He also understands the challenge of building recognition for the discipline back home.
Instead of being discouraged, he is thinking of ways to increase Canoe Polo's popularity, and at the same time, looking up to other sports for inspiring the women in Oranje.
“Simply in numbers, we have a long way to go before we can make it to any list together with football and field hockey, unless it’s in the category ‘team sports’,” the coach said.
“Call me biased, but I do firmly believe we have a much more exciting sport to watch, so perhaps we can reach a level where people know the sport and can watch it on TV.
“We also look at other team sports, of course, for inspiration and tactics. A commonly used tactic in handball was the inspiration for our offense. While slightly more difficult as we are not as mobile as running players, we do believe the same principle is also effective in Canoe Polo.”
That mix of realism and ambition is a driving force for the Netherlands, who booked their spot in Chengdu at the 2024 International Canoe Federation Canoe Polo World Championships in Deqing, China.
They beat Iran 2-1 to win bronze – the team's second at that level and first since 2006 – and will be up against Italy, Spain, and Denmark in Group B in Chengdu.
While they delivered inspiring performances in 2024, the road to Chengdu has been far from easy.
“Unfortunately, our sport is rather small in the Netherlands, and funding is limited. This means the players are paying for everything themselves, so every little bit of crowdfunding or sponsoring helps,” Van der Zwan said.
Despite the challenges, this Dutch squad has grown into a resilient unit.
“About half of the current selection has been part of the team since 2019 and attended The World Games in Birmingham in 2022. After that, some of them took a year off in 2023 and returned last year,” he said.
“Together with the group that attended the European Championships in 2023, we started our preparations for the World Championships last year. Our main goal was to qualify for Chengdu, which was already achieved before the final day because we were first in our group and were already certain of the semi-finals.”
The results in Deqing brought in a newfound confidence to the group, according to Van der Zwan.
They put on a strong display against the Italians in the semi-finals, where they held on for long before being beaten 5-4.
But it did not hamper their spirit as they went on to win the bronze medal match to cap off a brilliant tournament.
That never-say-die attitude is what the Netherlands hopes to bring to Chengdu.
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“I think, after reaching the semi-finals, our confidence was high enough to take a real shot at the title. However, as almost all teams experienced, sickness also hit us pretty hard. With five players being sick or feeling unwell, we would really like to replay that match with everyone being healthy,” he joked.
“The way the team managed to win that third place match was because they never gave up, even though extra time was not easy under the circumstances. I believe this team has a chance to win from everyone, but I also realise that the differences between the top teams are really small.
“Last year, all went really well for us, until that last day, resulting in a well-deserved bronze medal. It surely boosts the confidence, but we try to approach The World Games as I believe we should: we get to play in a new event where all teams start with all the chances and zero guarantees.”
Know the Dutch team that will be in Chengdu
Selina Dijkstra: Captain and most experienced, she is the only one who attended The World Games in 2017 and 2022.
Wendy Huizinga: Youngest and talented, she was part of the U21 team that won the European Championships in 2023.
Thura Breedt Bruijn: Joined the national team in 2023 and has been an important part of offence and defence.
Lizzy van Duijn: Quick and great at intercepting the ball in defence, and delivers in big games.
Linda van As: Part of the team since 2019, she is one of the best forwards in the team. High chance of finding the back of the net if given the ball in the 6m area.
Marieke van Hofslot: Joined in 2019 and has been one of our goalkeepers since her first year. Makes crucial saves in important games.
Alisha van den Berg: Joined in 2018, the centre defender, together with Van As, is one of the top scorers.
Astrid van der Maas: Joined the team in 2023 and defends the goal with Van Hofslot. Has a powerful throw, allowing her to pass the ball around easily.
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