Sherida Spitse will play her two hundredth international match for the Orange Women against England on Friday, a new milestone in a sixteen-year international career. The record international is not thinking about stopping yet, even though she is 32 years old. “I actually feel like I’m still getting fitter.”
The Eredivisie for women did not yet exist, most internationals were still amateurs and the home matches of the Orange Women were played in the cozy stadium of the then FC Zwolle.
In a different era, Spitse made her international debut for the Netherlands sixteen years ago. National coach Vera Pauw noticed a sixteen-year-old girl at VV Sneek: she played as captain between the boys and made an impression with her kick technique.
And so Spitse got a chance in the World Cup qualifier against England, in front of almost eight thousand people in the stadium of Charlton Athletic. “I thought I wasn’t nervous until I was on the field,” Spitse says. “It was special. I was thrown to the lions, but I thought that was nice. I had to show it. That helped me.”
The differences between then and now were “huge,” says Spitse. “It has all become more popular and professional. We are on television, it is taken seriously by a lot more people. Supporters who travel after us to see our matches. That has arisen in recent years.”
“But we needed the generation from then to get to where we are now. We must not forget that, I think. They also put a lot into women’s football. Now we only have more success.”
CV Sherida Spitse
- Age: 32 years
- Position: Midfielder
- Current club: Ajax (since 2021)
- Previous clubs: VV Sneek (2004-2007), Heerenveen (2007-2012), FC Twente (2012-2013), LSK Kvinner FK (Noo, 2014-2017), FC Twente (2017), Valerenga IF (Noo, 2018- 2020)
- International: 199
The highlight in Sherida Spitse’s international career: a goal in the won European Championship final against Denmark.
The highlight in Sherida Spitse’s international career: a goal in the won European Championship final against Denmark. Photo: ProShots
Career reads like a girl’s book
Spitse’s story reads like a girl’s book: with her kick technique and her killer mentality, she became one of the faces of the Orange women’s success. She was already there when the Netherlands debuted at a final tournament at the 2009 European Championship.
Spitse experienced the big highlight with a goal in the final of the European Championship in 2017, in which the women’s team had its big breakthrough with the European title. She missed only six international matches for the Orange Women, including four games at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which she had to skip due to a knee injury.
In 2019, Spitse became record international with her 157th international match, dethroning the then record holder Annemieke Kiesel-Griffioen. A new milestone for the midfielder will follow on Friday with the two hundredth international match. With this she joins a select international group of players: only 25 players have more than two hundred international matches to their name.
Spitse is not someone who often dwells on anniversaries, but this milestone makes her proud. “As you get older, you realize more and more what kind of performance I have achieved. That is not nothing. Every week, every day wanting to be the best and play in my position. That’s why I have come to so many international matches. “
Sherida Spitse is currently preparing for the European Championship with the Orange Women. It will be the sixth major tournament for the record international.
Sherida Spitse is currently preparing for the European Championship with the Orange Women. It will be the sixth major tournament for the record international. Photo: AP
“If I can go on like this, why not?”
Spitse still has the drive to be the best, even though she is now 32 years old. She still watches her diet, skips parties and birthdays and says she never misses out on training.
Spitse therefore glitters when the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are discussed. Is she going for an Olympic rematch? She is almost finished with her club Ajax about the extension of her expiring contract. “I always look at a moment. Of course it is nice if that can happen again.”
“An age is just an age, it’s just a number. It’s about how fit I feel and how much fun I continue to enjoy it. Then I might be able to continue for another six years. I’ve turned my hobby into my job. This is the most beautiful thing there is. I actually still feel like I’m getting fitter. If it can last that long, why not?”
Precisely against England, Spitse will play her two-hundredth international match: the country where her long journey with the Orange Women began and the country where former Orange national coach Sarina Wiegman and assistant Arjan Veurink work. The friendly match in the stadium of Leeds United starts at 9 p.m. (Dutch time). Due to her milestone, Spitse will wear the captain’s armband once.