"VAN" (Sports Desk - 27.05.2025) :: With the second half of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 fast approaching, we are catching up with players and coaches of all nine men’s and women’s teams to take the temperature of their season through the first half and explore their targets for the remaining matches. In today’s interview, we speak with Rein van Eijk and Alix Gerniers, the coach and captain of the Belgium women’s team, the Red Panthers.
Rein van Eijk
What’s your take on the first part of the FIH Hockey Pro League, even though you didn’t actively take part in it?
I think we did very well in the first part of the pro league, even though I only started after the first four games and joined the team in South America for the games against Argentina and Australia. Being in the position that we are in, halfway through the pro league, sitting in second place is a very good position to be in. It’s great to see that we have been able to incorporate so many talented young players into the squad and that our performance has added to the upward trend that the team already showed at the Paris Olympics.
The tournament so far is extremely exciting, and we cannot wait to get back to it. It says a lot about the state of international women’s hockey and the competitiveness of it that we have five teams at top of the pro league rankings within five points of each other. We are happy with our position, but hope to still improve in the second half of the pro league when the pro League returns home in Antwerp.
What are your ambitions for the upcoming block to be played in June?
For the second block of the pro league to be played in June, our goal very clearly is to make next steps in our development, remain competitive and play for the top spots as long as possible. We hope to improve our best ranking yet in the pro league as much as possible this edition, by getting good results in Antwerp.
What do you think will be the most challenging part?
The most challenging part of this leg of the pro league will be balancing all the different elements that pull on our team. We will have a shortened preparation compared to the winter block because of the Belgian league that’s taking place until the end of May, then we also have a European championship to prepare for, and on top of that it is obviously a heavily dense program with eight games in 16 days so we will need all of our players at their peak of their fitness ready to perform over here.
What role do you hope the Belgian fans will play during this home phase of the Pro League?
We can’t wait to play in front of a Belgian home crowd. We hope to win the crowd over with our way of playing and we will need all of their support in order for us to achieve our goals of having the best finish so far in the pro league. We hope the fans will carry us, and increase our hunger for this summer’s European Championship, but more importantly a World Cup at home next year, even more.
Alix Gerniers
What did you learn from the first part of the Pro League? (About the team? About the team’s mentality? About its development?)
For the first part of this pro league block I think it was important to just be together with the group and have some fun . It is not easy after such a big tournament as the Olympics. Also there was a lot of change in the staff in our team, so the most important was to get to know each other and build a new team for the future.
What will be the purpose of the matches played in June?
We are 2nd in the ranking right now which is super nice for the team. We haven't set the goals yet but off course when we step on the pitch we go for a victory so I would say focus game by game and try to end as high as possible in this Pro League campaign.
How does it feel to play at home?
It's always super nice to play a long Pro league block in Belgium. The team is super excited and hopefully the supporters also 🙂 And it is also great to have those kind off games to really promote our sport in Belgium
How are you and the team preparing mentally and physically for the final stretch?
We are lucky that Belgium is a small country so we actually see each other every week. We train 4-5 times together every week. Every week we can train on new things, get to know each other better on and off pitch and also for the team atmosphere it's really amazing.
What would you like to say to the supporters who’ll be in Antwerp or watching from home?
Hopefully we see each other in a few weeks and we promise you exciting games. And for sure put something red on.
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