Major league: Xan de Waard World Player of the Year for the second time

De Waard won the prestigious hockey prize for the first time in 2023. She was also one of the contenders in 2018 and 2024, but then the prize went to Eva de Goede and Yibbi Jansen respectively. It is the third time in a row that the award for best hockey player in the world has been won by a SCHC player.

With the Dutch team, De Waard won the sixth season of the FIH Pro League this calendar year and the European title in Mönchengladbach in the summer. In the exciting final against Germany (2-1 win), the 231-time international was one of the standouts: she led the way when necessary and guided the Dutch team to a new title with her typical runs and tactical ingenuity.

De Waard succeeds her teammate Yibbi Jansen (SCHC), who was voted best hockey player in the world at the end of last year. It is the third time in a row and the fourteenth time in total that an international of the Dutch women’s team has received the award. Before De Waard and Jansen, Felice Albers, Eva de Goede (twice), Naomi van As (twice), Maartje Paumen (twice), Lidewij Welten, Ellen Hoog, Minke Booij and Mijntje Donners won the award.

Brinkman misses again
For the men, the FIH Award went to Tom Boon for the first time in history. Individually, the 35-year-old striker of the Belgian national team had a great year in which he was crowned top scorer of the FIH Pro League with a record number of 21 goals. The main prize for Boon meant another disappointment for captain Thierry Brinkman of Den Bosch, who was left out of the prizes for the fourth time in a row.