Hockey players sold for first time in India: Jansen, big earner, Verschoor real

Major hockey players Maria Verschoor and Yibbi Jansen were tuned into the live stream on YouTube today. Tuesday morning and afternoon the women went under the hammer for the Hockey India League (HIL) auction, the men were already beaten yesterday.

This is the first time that hockey players are taking part in the lucrative HIL, which is returning after a seven year hiatus. back on the hockey calendar. The budget of the women’s teams was only half that of the men’s teams. But that didn’t detract much from the competition’s (financial) appeal.

Verschoor will go to India at the end of December for around 11,000 euros, and Jansen will even be the best paid non-Indian of the hockey players at the HIL. She earns more than 30,000 euros.

“It’s a very interesting process, suddenly you come into the picture,” says Verschoor, who plays for Soorma Hockey Club. The tournament in India lasts six weeks and, in addition to the knowledge, it is also a financial benefit for hockey players.

The men were paid large sums. For example, internationals Jip Janssen (59,000 euros), Lars Balk (44,000 euros) and Thierry Brinkman (41,000) left for large sums. But key players such as Verschoor,

“I had high expectations of what would be offered, which was really disappointing…” Verschoor admits.

The only real Dutch person who was paid a big sum was SCHC penalty corner specialist Jansen: for around 31,000 euros she goes to Odisha Warriors. “I thought it was very interesting,” said Jansen at Langs de Lijn en Omstreek on Radio 1. “That amount in a month, that’s very strange.

For Jansen, joy abounds. “It’s very good to experience something like this, also because this is not often possible. Next year, for example, we will be preparing for the World Cup. Apart from the money, it will be a great adventure: hockey in India is very alive, they will make it a real event with a big audience.”

It’s hard for Jansen to estimate how much that will be. “This is the first time this competition has been organized for women, you never know how it will turn out. I think it’s a different kind of hockey than I’m used to in Holland. Indian players are often very technical.

Verschoor understands that Jansen got so much at the auction: “I expected Yibbi to go for a lot of money, because she has such a good penalty corner. To be honest, I thought she could go for more. “

Verschoor then comes up with his own calculations. “The women’s budget was 200,000 lakh (218,000 euros) per team, 400,000 lakh for the men. Suppose you equalize these budgets, the amount for Yibbi would have to be doubled and she would have received more than the most expensive Dutchman, Jip Janssen.” In fact he went for approx. 59,000 euros.

International Josine Koning, the goalkeeper of Den Bosch, did not participate in the auction itself, because it did not fit her schedule. Only the Belgian Charlotte Englebert from her team was sold, for around 17,000 euros.

According to Koning, everyone from the club was allowed to participate. “If people had wanted it, it could have been done. Jansen, a big earner, also confirmed this: “I did this in consultation with my club. If they had said they didn’t like it at all, I probably wouldn’t have done it either .”

Goalkeeper Koning hopes this tournament will be a success. “It’s good that this is now being organized for women. It is an opportunity to make a profile of women’s hockey, especially in India where women’s hockey is very big. And for the women themselves it is a great opportunity to earn extra money and of course. to get a really good experience.”

Koning has often spoken publicly about equal pay in the past. But she believes that it is quite logical that the HIL budget is lower for women than for men. “It’s still a young competition for women and I think that’s why there’s still a bit of inequality for us. In an ideal world you’d prefer to change that.”