Michielsen breaks boundaries as the only female handball coach in the men’s premier league

The Aalsmeer board was looking for a new trainer for their second team a year and a half ago. They say that they spoke with several candidates and that Michielsen came out on top. Her international experience as a player and her ambitions as a coach were the deciding factor.

Player group response

The players were surprised about Michielsen’s appointment. “I thought: that’s something different,” says captain Kevin Hooijman. “You cannot judge someone in advance without knowing how they work. Handball is in her genes and she knows the game.”

Michielsen played in Germany for six years and was also a Dutch international. She also comes from a real handball family. For example, her father Fred is the coach of Lions, who play in the BENE League. Her brother Pepijn plays in the first team in Aalsmeer. All facets that help her as a coach.

“Men’s handball is slightly different from women’s handball, but she quickly said that she played at a high level,” says player Jordy Neeft. “Then I thought she must be knowledgeable.”

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Is it possible in handball?

Last week there was a heated discussion in the football program Studio Voetbal. Analyst Pierre van Hooijdonk does not see it happening that a woman will ever train Ajax. Player Sherida Spitse does have such an ambition and completely disagreed with it.

Michielsen was surprised by the discussion. “Not every man masters the trade,” says the new coach. “But if you, as a woman, stand firm and communicate very clearly, it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman.”

What needs to change to break the tradition of one man as coach? “Clubs have to have courage to hire a woman,” says Neeft. Michielsen completely agrees. “It’s the easy way to always look for a man,” she says. “Clubs just have to dare to do it.”