A long decade of 2015 to 2025-remained coach Julian Steen (33) Honky-Tonk at Groningen Ladies 1. When he decided to spread his wings this summer, he did not opt for a club in the Randstad, but immediately for an adventure on the other side of the world: Jameshedpur, India. There he found a job at the Field Hockey Academy or Steel Giant Tata Steel. In a place small as he knew. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone.
The furthest match that Steen played with Groningen in the Promotion League last season was against Breda, a solid ride of almost three hours. Now, via a WhatsApp connection, he tells a recent journey from one of his youth teams on the Field Hockey Academy. On the way to a tournament, the players and employees went on the train for a trip that stone has never confronted, not even from Groningen: a trip of no less than 38 hours. Welcome to India.
Four weeks ago, on July 1, his adventure started in the chaotic but hockey-mad country. Hardly landed at the airport in Kolkata, the city that went through life until 2001 when Calcutta, an emergency course in India, waited directly to the train station. Howrah, the station where he would take the train to Jamshedpur, turned out to be the busiest train station throughout India. With one and a half million passengers a day.
I was looking for adventure … Well, I already got that before I got on the train. Julian Steen
In the midst of a crowd of rushed Indians, he had to make his way to one of the 25 tracks, hoping that his train to Jamshedpur was waiting there. “Everything was focused in Hindi. I had no idea where to go. Fortunately I was able to turn to the station manager, who aimed in the right direction with his hands and feet. Once on the right platform, the next challenge waited for me: which compartment should I actually sit online with my ticket that is reserved online? No idea. Fortunately there was also an employee and gave me to where I should be. And all under hundreds of Indians boarding.
‘Fortunately there was no one on the roof of the train, I was spared that image of the videos. But the General classFor which you cannot make reservations, the seams almost burst. I was looking for adventure … Well, I got that before I even got on the train.
Julian Steen is ‘head coach’ at the Naval Tata Hockey Academy in India. Photo: Naval Tata Hockey Academy
From his bubble in Groningen to Chaotic India
His choice of India is the biggest leap in his life he has ever made, he says. For his studies he moved from his hometown of Castricum, in Noord -Holland, to Groningen. This turned out not to be a harbinger of a further journey of discovery through the Netherlands. Instead, he led a life in Groningen that was solid as a house. He stopped field hockey and completely threw himself into his coaching career. Within two years he succeeded in working as an assistant of ladies 1 in record time. Three years later, when he was only 27, he was ready to take over from head coach Marc Materek.
How does someone who have lived comfortably in his Groningen, suddenly in the Field Hockey Academy of Tata Steel, deep in East India? “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. An adventure abroad, that seemed like the right thing to do. First I mainly looked at Germany. I already spoke with a few clubs. But then this suddenly came my way, “says Steen, say this” this “as if he could hardly believe it himself.
The field of the Naval Tata Hockey Academy in India. Photo: Naval Tata Hockey Academy
Via Sjoerd Marihne he ended up at the Tata Steel Field Hockey Academy.
Steen: ‘It was Sjoerd Woelders – last season coach Van Schaerweijde – who put me on the trail of the vacancy. He worked at the academy himself. Through him I came into contact with Sjoerd Marihne, the former national coach of the Indian women. Together with Raoul Ehren, Marijne runs the company Onfire Hockey Supportwho is responsible for the technical support of the Academy. When I spoke with him by telephone and he offered me the job, I said I wanted to think about it for another weekend. But to be honest, I was already gone when I hung. ‘
‘Naval Tata Hockey Academy’ is the name of the Academy Steen now sinks its teeth. A field hockey academy is a phenomenon that does not exist in the Netherlands. In India, large companies such as Tata Steel, which have a gigantic factory in Jamshedpur, are legally obliged to invest a percentage of their profit in social projects. The Field Hockey Academy is one of those social projects of Tata Steel. On the east side of the city, the steel producer has built a whole campus from the ground, complete with two shiny water fields, a residential block, a gym, a dining room, a massage room and all riding burns. It is the “Papendal” of Veldhockey players in Jamshedpur.
Julian Steen helps with training. Photo: Naval Tata Hockey Academy
For these guys it is a springboard to a better life. It is their chance to escape poverty and make something of their lives. Julian Steen
Talents from the region are carefully selected and receive a thorough education at the Academy. Together they train and live on campus. They are boys who dream of a better life than what the harsh reality of Jamshedpur now offers them. Poverty marks the streets there.
Steen: “Hockey here means so much more than a sport. For these guys it is a springboard for a better life. By prove itself in Veldhockey, they can be admitted to the business team of a large employer. That means they can get on the payroll and build a future for themselves and their families.
‘Chief Coach’ is the name of his position, according to the website of the Academy. In the Netherlands we would describe it as technical director, he clarifies. What exactly does he do?
‘I am responsible for the development of both coaches and players. I don’t try to sit behind my desk all day, but rather to be on the field as much as possible. I try to offer the coaches as much support as possible on the field. The contact with the youngest group of talents, the 13 to 16-year-olds, is sometimes still a bit difficult, because they only speak English to a limited extent. But luckily the players in the older categories often control the language. Just like their coaches. The intention is that I will also travel with them to tournaments throughout India. ‘
The campus on the Naval Tata Hockey Academy. Photo: Naval Tata Hockey Academy
Everything is arranged; In fact, he doesn’t even have to leave the campus
Life on campus is almost at odds with its existence in Groningen. His living space is not much larger than a hotel room. The interior is limited to two cupboards, a desk, a fridge, a few chairs and a bed. The first training starts at 6 o’clock before the heat starts. But he doesn’t complain at all. Everything is arranged for him until the last detail. A cleaner comes every day. In the evening he goes to dinner. If he is not at a tournament with the selections, he doesn’t even have to leave the campus.
Yes, life in Jamshedpur can suit him. “I have a one -year contract. In about five months I will start thinking about how I like it and what I want here. Then I will have a better idea of what life really entails here. But for now everything is still new and very fun. I really enjoy it. This is the challenge I was looking for.
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