“Let the best players skip games to avoid overloading”

Football players have too busy a schedule, says national coach Andries Jonker. One solution is to play fewer tournaments, Jonker thinks skipping the Olympics makes the most sense.

“With the men, the Olympics are not for the best players. I think we are also going in that direction with the women. So every two years a European championship or a World Cup, but not as a tournament in the meantime,” Jonker said.

For men it is mainly players under the age of 23 who go to the Olympics, for women there is no age limit and countries usually go with the same players with whom they also play a European Championship or a World Cup.

The national coach sees that some of his players rest very little. “The core of this group have to play five tournaments in seven summers. This is unthinkable in men’s football.” He says some players had a day off last summer before having to report to their club.

Jonker finds the busy schedule “too much of a good thing” and sees the busy playing schedule causing overload and injuries. That’s why he gives rest to the players.

For example, he didn’t call up Vivianne Miedema and Jill Roord for the next two international matches. In the previous international match, Lieke Martens, Dominique Janssen and Stefanie van der Gragt rested.

It was not necessary for the latter, Van der Gragt said after training for the exhibition match against Costa Rica next Friday. “It was apparently necessary, but in the end I always want to be there,” says Van der Gragt, who understands why the national coach is doing this.

Jonker says most players like a period of rest. “It’s experienced as wonderful,” he says.

The Orange Women are preparing training matches with Costa Rica (November 11 in Utrecht) and Denmark (November 15 in Zwolle).

The Dutch women’s team is working for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. In the group stage, the Netherlands will meet the United States, Vietnam and a play-off winner.