National coach Paul van Ass has decided that he will not select midfielder Eva Drummond-De Goede – two-time World Player of the Year – for the Dutch national team at the moment. “This is completely unexpected for me,” says the three-time Olympic champion.
Drummond-De Goede (34) has taken a break with the Orange in recent months. She recently informed Van Ass that she is available again. “However, I don’t think this is the time to let her join,” the national coach responds. He declined to provide a substantive explanation of his decision. He also leaves it unclear whether the 258-time international is still in his plans for the Olympic Games in Paris next summer. At the moment, the Dutch team is carefully preparing for the European Championship in Mönchengladbach (August 18-27) with 25 players.
Last October – at the start of Van Ass’s era – Drummond-De Goede announced that she was not joining the Orange training group at that time. She wanted to take the space to recover from the tough period behind her, after she sustained a serious knee injury in November 2021 and was fit just in time to play the World Cup in Amsterdam and Terrassa thanks to intensive rehabilitation. In addition, it was her wish to prepare in peace for her marriage to South African international Tim Drummond, which took place last February. Van Ass showed understanding for her choice, but also made it clear to her that there was a risk involved. Besides a new start on a technical and tactical level, there would also be a lot of hard work to start a new team process.
Eva de Goede falls into Lidewij Welten’s arms after winning the world title in Terrassa last summer. Photo: William Vernes
I was unpleasantly surprised that he informed me that he would not select me. I don’t agree with his explanation. Eva Drummond-De Goede
Drummond-De Goede: ‘I am very disappointed that I was not selected. This is completely unexpected to me. I am still very motivated to continue until the Olympic Games in Paris – and the national coach knows that. In the preliminary phase, I decided in consultation with him to take a break. He supported that route. It also fitted in nicely with his theme: space, although he indicated that I had to be back in March. I was therefore unpleasantly surprised that he informed me that he would not select me. I do not agree with his explanation.’
During her absence, the Dutch national team boarded a plane in December for a twenty-day trip to Argentina. The Orange squad played four Pro League games there, the first competitive international matches under the wings of Van Ass. The next intensive journey followed last January: a twelve-day training camp to South Africa.
Eva de Goede has been playing for HGC for two seasons. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
This whole turn of events really affects me Eva Drummond-De Goede
In 2006, Drummond-De Goede caused a sensation by making his debut in the Dutch national team at the age of seventeen, without having played a minute in the Dutch national team during an international match against India. Immediately she scored a goal and gave an assist. She then won three Olympic medals with the Orange, in Beijing, London and Tokyo. She also won a silver Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro. She also became world champion three times and European champion four times. She was named World Player of the Year two years in a row, in 2018 and 2019.
Drummond-De Goede: ‘I have committed myself to Orange for sixteen years and I still want to do that. This whole turn of events really affects me. In the short term I want to rest to process this and I will fully focus on the important months ahead with HGC.’
