In a full canteen at the De Toekomst sports complex, Noordman makes a relaxed impression. The talented Ajax player made the switch from PEC Zwolle, Sunday’s opponent, to the Ajax Women last year. She is now in her second season in Amsterdam and notices that the intensity is slightly higher. “I’ve gotten used to that now. When you join a new team, you first have to get to know everyone. I already knew some players from the national teams, but you still have to get to know the rest.”
“As a newcomer, I first look around a bit. Then I feel more at ease,” Noordam continues. “I think the team has gotten to know me better in the meantime and they know that I also like to have fun. When you are new to a group, you are also busy with many other things, such as finding a house and getting used to it. to the environment. Now I have more peace around me and I can be more myself.”
From Dalfsen to Amsterdam
Before Noordman moved to Amsterdam, she lived with her parents and two brothers in Dalfsen in the province of Overijssel. She started looking for an apartment because traveling was too far. “I now live with two roommates. I’m really enjoying it.”
When asked whether there are major differences between the cities of Zwolle and Amsterdam, Noordman starts to laugh. “Yes, that’s true. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Of course everyone is allowed to have an opinion, but here they are a bit clearer about what they think about certain things. Sometimes that’s a good thing. I had to deal with that in the beginning get used to it, but it is important that you can make enough demands on each other and that you can address each other about certain things.”
As a child, the talented Ajax player already dreamed of a football career in Amsterdam. “We used to go to the Ajax Open Day sometimes. I always said that I wanted to play football at Ajax, and now I just play there. That is very special, and my brothers also think it’s very cool. They support me enormously. When I think about it like that, I can hardly realize that my dream has come true. When you are small, you say things like that, but I can now play here.
Personal ambitions
Noordman was not a permanent fixture for the Ajax Women last season. That is one of the goals of the twenty-year-old Ajax player this year. “I want to play a lot and be important for the team with goals and assists. Of course, I also have other personal goals, such as becoming calmer on the ball. I have to learn to make the right choices at the right time. That’s where I want to continue.” in development.”
This summer, De Reus and Sonny Silooy started as head coach and assistant coach respectively at the Ajax Women. Noordman is happy with the arrival of the pair. “They balance each other out well. Hesterine is a little more serious, while Sonny likes to have fun more. They get along well with the group and want to do well for us. We have of course had several adjustments in the team. They have to deal with that get used to them and we have to get used to them again. But that actually happens automatically.”
Close-knit team
During this summer’s transfer window, the technical staff saw a number of strong players leave abroad, including Romée Leuchter and Chasity Grant. “As a result, a few young girls have been promoted to the first team. That is only good for them. These girls can develop themselves further here. I think we are now a close-knit team again. We all get along well with each other and you can go to anyone. That’s just nice, because it’s a team sport. It’s nice that you can all just laugh together and share things,” says Noordman.
Even before the Dutch competition officially started, the Ajax Women were eliminated by Fiorentina during the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Women’s Champions League: 0-1. “That was a shame, especially because we were not inferior to Fiorentina. After this disappointment, we have to focus on the league and the cup tournament again. But yes, it is of course still a shame. Especially because you know how it all went last season “We experienced so many great moments as a team and that is not possible now. We are now going to focus on the competition to reach the Champions League again next year.”
New season
The competition starts on Sunday with a match against PEC Zwolle. After a long preparation with a training camp, practice matches, a Super Cup match and the preliminary rounds of the Women’s Champions League, the team is looking forward to the new season. “We have put together a good series of practice matches, even though a few could have been better. But you also learn from less good matches.”
One of those lesser matches was the match against FC Twente for the Super Cup. The Ajax Women eventually lost 6-1 in the Grolsch Veste. “Of course that match was one to quickly forget. I think we had a good start. However, after the 0-1 lead we dropped back a bit. That didn’t have to be the case, because we played our best during the first part of the match. own game. We of course looked back at the images to see what could be improved. All in all, I am confident of a great season with this team,” Noordman concludes.
