Tulp Hoofdklasse commemorates death of goalkeeper coach Simon Zijp
All matches in the Tulp Hoofdklasse this weekend will be played with mourning bands and a minute's silence will be held beforehand. In doing so, the hockey world pays respect to goalkeeper coach Simon Zijp, who died suddenly on Monday at the age of 61.
Zijp's death has caused a shock in the Dutch hockey community. For 15 years, the former international worked with the goalkeepers of the national women's and men's teams and of Jong Oranje Heren. As recently as last summer, he was on the pitch with the Orange teams during the European Championship in Mönchengladbach.
In a statement, the KNHB called Zijp 'a nice guy, a real hockey animal with a huge passion for goalkeeping', who was always involved and fully behind his goalkeepers. 'Ask 'his' goalkeepers, the staff members of both national teams, the staff members of big league clubs, his colleagues within the KNHB or others involved in the hockey world: these words will be used to characterise Simon.'
Personal connection
Zijp played an important role in the successes of the Dutch teams. The association writes that his biggest highlight was probably the double gold at the 2024 Olympics, when both the men and women captured the title via shoot-outs - after weeks of preparation under his leadership. Yet, the KNHB stresses, he himself would have been especially proud of the personal bond he built with his goalkeepers.
As a player, Zijp played for Klein Zwitserland and HGC. He made his debut in the national team in 1984, played seven international matches and was part of the selection that won the 1990 world championship in Pakistan.
With the minute's silence and the mourning bands, the Hoofdklasse honours a man who has been invaluable to Dutch hockey - an inspired coach, mentor and human being who will be missed by many.
