The only hockey team that consists entirely of refugee children comes from Tilburg. Every Saturday, the Panda team trains on the university’s fields. Their trainer René Dinant notices a different mentality in the girls: “They have already lost so much in life, that is why they really want to win that match.”
The training field of the Panda team is within walking distance of the old tax building on Cobbenhagenlaan: the refugee shelter. So the kids can walk there. Ksanez from Eritrea and Jori from Iraq can’t wait and shoot before the practice game starts, probably some balls on target. “We have a lot of fun together,” says Jori. Ksanez: “And we respect each other. It becomes more fun when you play together.”
“They all fled, they all suffered blows.”
René Dinant watches from a distance: “This makes children believe in themselves again. Because that’s gone. They have all fled, they have all been beaten.”
The Panda team has existed since 2016. Because many boys prefer to play football, it consists only of girls. It now has thirteen members aged between 11 and 16. The name was made up by one of the children and when René Dinant started, it was easy: “We had old sticks, old shoes, old hockey balls, nothing else.”
Now all the girls are wearing a blue shirt with the Panda team logo on it: four arms that hold each other. And that has a meaning. “I trust them completely and they trust me,” explains Dinant. “That seems very easy, but it is not, if you have lived in a war zone and had to flee.”
“If a child is angry, you have to solve it differently.”
The team demands different qualities from Dinant than from an average coach: “You have to be very flexible. I notice that especially when we play matches, then I meet coaches from other teams. If a child walks to the side without saying anything because she is very angry, then you should not solve it according to the normal rules.”
Staying calm is the most important thing: “A few years ago I had a girl on this hockey field who threw her stick across the field at eye level. She almost hit another child. Then when I get angry, it gets even worse. ‘Just sit down and when the weather is good, you’ll join us again’, I said. I sat down, was quiet and listened.”
But during the match it is serious for Ksanez and Jori. When asked if they ever win, they confirm loudly and in unison: “Yes!” Still, profit is not the most important thing. Jori: “I think it’s more important to have fun in the race.” Ksanez: “If you have lost, but it is fun, then you still have fun.”
“They have to score a goal first and then they don’t want to change yet.”
Coach René enjoys their enthusiasm during competitions: “They run incredibly fast and they keep going. Especially don’t switch when I ask if they are tired. No, I want to score a goal first. And even then they don’t want to switch. I have to slow them down rather than stimulate them. It’s not just a winner’s mentality. This is the mentality of refugee hockey.”