Dutch dragflick legend Taeke Taekema joins Indian women’s hockey camp

Legendary Dutch dragflicker Taeke Taekema has joined the Indian women’s hockey team for a specialised training camp during its Australia and New Zealand tour. The initiative aims to improve penalty-corner efficiency ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup in Auckland.

Hyderabad: Legendary Dutch dragflicker Taeke Taekema joined the Senior Indian women’s hockey team for a specialised training camp focused on dragflicking and penalty-corner execution during the team’s tour of Australia and New Zealand from May 26 to June 21, 2026.

Taekema has been brought in to further sharpen the skills of the team’s dragflickers as the Indian side prepares for the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26, scheduled to be held from June 15 to 21, 2026, under Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.

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Indian dragflickers Deepika, Lalthantluangi and Annu are participating in the focused training sessions aimed at improving India’s penalty-corner conversion rate and overall attacking efficiency ahead of a crucial international season.

Taekema is regarded as one of the finest dragflickers the hockey world has seen. A former Netherlands international, he was known for his powerful penalty-corner conversions and represented the Dutch national team in several major international tournaments, including the Olympic Games and FIH Hockey World Cups. He has more than 200 international appearances and 221 international goals to his name.

The initiative is supported by Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, continuing its contribution to the growth and development of women’s hockey in India. Anandana also supported a special goalkeeping camp for the Indian Women’s Hockey Team conducted by renowned coach David Williamson in Bengaluru before the team’s departure for Australia.

As part of the preparations for the FIH Women’s Nations Cup in Auckland, India played a four-match friendly series against Australia at the Perth Hockey Stadium from May 26 to 30, 2026. Both teams won two matches each, with the series ending in a 2-2 draw.

The Indian team will reach New Zealand on June 3, where it will continue its preparations with practice matches ahead of the FIH Women’s Nations Cup.

Sjoerd Marijne, Chief Coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team, stated, “We know that penalty corners are crucial in modern hockey, and having a coach with Taeke Taekema’s experience will be extremely valuable for us. Besides dragflicking, his role will also be much broader in helping improve our defensive structures. He has developed himself further in different areas, and we are looking to utilise his full potential with the team.”

“I have coached him, so I know him very well, and we are on the same page in terms of our approach. His experience as a former top-level player will also be very important for the team. We already have good dragflickers in the squad and also a strong striking option in Navneet Kaur. It is crucial for us to get more out of our penalty-corner opportunities, and this camp will definitely help us improve in that area,” Marijne said.