Captain of the Dutch national hockey team, Xan de Waard, has called for action on the lack of diversity within the sport, saying “The mission sounds very intense, but I would like to get the conversation going”.
“It’s not very diverse here if you look around,” De Waard says, watching a youth match at her club SCHC in Bilthoven, “In that respect, I think hockey needs to change.”
“I am the typical hockey girl myself, of course – white and blonde”, reflects de Waard. She was alerted to the issue when fellow hockey player and the first black player to be selected for the Dutch national team, Terrance Pieters, reported the abuse that he was subjected to, “When he shared his story about racism in the hockey world, it started to dawn on me too”.
“Moreover, words like ‘gay’ are often shouted at the pitch,” De Waard says, “I became aware that I was not using my own platform at all, and asked myself: why not?”
As a first step to raise awareness of the issue, which De Waard also believes is problematic in the wider society, she joined forces with a friend to create a special captain’s armband. The design incorporates the colours of the pride flag with a fist, to represent both the LGBTQ+ community and the symbol opposing oppression and racism. De Waard explained, “It symbolises acceptance, regardless of one’s identity, sexual orientation, cultural background or ethnicity.”
“I started wearing the band and started expressing myself more,” she said, and interest has already grown with others across the Netherlands and Germany also wearing it and de Waard hopes people will start to think more widely about the issue; “It is important to dwell on it. What do I notice around me? Am I aware of my own behaviour and the swear words I use?”
De Waard believes that hockey community needs to work in partnership to overcome some of the barriers “There are many aspects that come into play, from membership fees to the feeling of belonging at a predominantly white club,” she says. The Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond (KNHB) should also take a bigger role in raising awareness, with education for coaches and parents and taking tougher action when discrimination is reported.
“There are still plenty of steps to take,” de Waard concedes, but she is hoping that she can contribute to positive change. “Even if people think differently or are different, you can still be in a hockey team together,”
Source: NOS.nl – Wednesday 11th of October – ‘Hockey is niet heel divers’, ziet international De Waard: ‘De sport moet veranderen’ (nos.nl)