De Waard, Veenendaal and Brinkman nominated for FIH Award

Xan de Waard (29, SCHC) has a chance to win the title World Player of the Year, Thierry Brinkman (30, Den Bosch) is nominated for that title among the men and Anne Veenendaal (30, Amsterdam) is competing for the award for best goalkeeper in the world.

De Waard was already named World Player of the Year in 2023. Last year, that honour went to penaltycorner phenomenon Yibbi Jansen. This time, De Waard will compete against Alix Gerniers (Belgium) and Li Hong (China and player of Amsterdam). The SCHC midfielder won the European Championship in Mönchengladbach and the Pro League with the Dutch national team this year.

Fourth nomination in a row
Brinkman is nominated for the fourth time in a row (after 2022, 2023 and 2024) for the prestigious FIH award, but has never won the prize. The trophy went to India's Harmanpreet Singh for the third time last year. Besides Brinkman, Tom Boon (Belgium) and Nicolás Della Torre (Argentina) are also contenders this season. The Den Bosch striker finished second with the Oranje at this year's European Championship in Mönchengladbach and won the Pro League.

For Anne Veenendaal, it would be the first time she has been named best goalkeeper in the world. Her rivals are Liu Ping (China) and Grace O'Hanlon (New Zealand). Last season, Veenendaal missed out on the award, which then went to Ye Jiao of China.

The list of nominees was compiled by a panel of players, coaches and officials appointed by the continental hockey associations. The number of nominees per category has been reduced from five to three this year. Votes can be cast via this link until 16 November.

The election for World Talent of the Year will follow later, after the youth World Cups: the men play in India from 28 November to 10 December, the women from 1 to 13 December in Chile.

All nominees in a row

Best female player
Xan de Waard, Alix Gerniers (Belgium), Li Hong (China)

Best male player
Thierry Brinkman, Tom Boon (Belgium), Nicolás Della Torre (Argentina)

Best goalkeeper women
Anne Veenendaal, Liu Ping (China), Grace O'Hanlon (New Zealand)

Best goalkeeper men
James Mazarelo (England), Jean-Paul Danneberg (Germany), Tomás Santiago (Argentina)