UKRAINE
When young girls fled from a war zone, have to leave your family behind and then be ‘in the picture’ in the Netherlands. The constant media attention has become too much for the Ukrainian hockey girls and the reason they left hockey club Victoria. They have found a ‘quiet’ place.
However special and hospitable the reception in Rotterdam was, the Ukrainian women’s hockey team opts for a reception location in Reeuwijk where they can relax. They can also stay there longer if necessary. That tells the Ukrainian youth coach Marina Gorokhova. The women’s team already stayed at a holiday park in Reeuwijk at the end of last year and through those contacts the Ukrainian girls ended up at the current shelter.
Lots of media interest
The Ukrainian hockey players camped at Victoria in Rotterdam for just under two weeks. The hockey club had arranged bed, bath and bread in a short time after a request for help from the Ukrainian hockey association. The dressing rooms were transformed into bedrooms with bunk beds, the clubhouse into a living room and the boardroom into a private room.
After their arrival in the Netherlands, the media interest was overwhelming for the hockey girls, while they were recovering from a dangerous and exciting journey. They also worry about their family at home. This was clearly visible on the girls’ faces when Rijnmond also came by for a report. They wouldn’t answer questions, filming was okay. The Ukrainian coach spoke. With the help of an interpreter, she told how happy they were with the warm reception in Rotterdam and how great their concerns are about the situation in their home country.
Bedrooms without daylight
At Victoria, the girls were able to train for a participation in the junior World Cup in South Africa. But when it turned out that they couldn’t get the visas, the hockey players longed for peace and a place where they can stay longer. The current location is better suited for this than the one at Victoria in Rotterdam. There are no windows and no daylight in the changing rooms. The Ukrainian coach has been given the responsibility of all parents to keep the girls together. This works better in one place than with different host families. The municipality of Reeuwijk has given that guarantee that they can stay together.
The sudden departure last weekend came very unexpectedly for hockey club Victoria. “We are in the dark as to why,” was their response. They also worried where the girls were and if they were all right.
The Ukrainian coach understands that the departure raises questions and admits that communication could have been better. “The move to another location last weekend went so quickly that, in retrospect, communication to the hockey club in Rotterdam could have been better. The language barrier didn’t help either,” says Marina Gorokhova.
The Ukrainian coach emphasizes how important the first reception at Victoria was and would like to thank the club personally for this at a later time. For her, the most important thing is that peace returns to the girls. She also hopes that they will be left alone by the media.
Hockey club Victoria respects the choice and understands that they want to relax. They have tried to dose the media attention and do not want to overload the girls with it. The club had raised more than 26,000 euros for the care of the hockey girls. That money will probably go to giro 555 or to the local shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Rotterdam.
