![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/womens-world-cup-blasted-amateurish-as-national-team-forced-to-train-on-cricket-pitch/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0_GettyImages-1523063018.jpg&description=The Dutch national team, who were runners-up at the 2019 Women's World Cup, have been forced to avoid 11v11 training sessions due to a hard cricket pitch in the middle of their training field Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker has accused FIFA and the Women's World Cup of being 'amateurs' after a cricket pitch had yet to be removed from the team's training field ahead of their group stage opener against Portugal on Sunday. The Dutch women's team were assigned the Bay Oval in Tauranga for their World Cup preparations, a place cricket fans will more fondly remember as the scene of Jimmy Anderson's four-wicket haul for 18 runs when England ripped through New Zealand in February. Five months on, a hard cricket pitch still sits in the middle of the field, an obvious obstacle to training the Netherlands team had requested to be removed months earlier. And its persistent presence has prompted Jonker to voice his unfettered frustration at the situation and the danger posed to his players ahead of a critical match for the 2019 Women's World Cup runners-up. "When we arrived here on Wednesday, I thought, 'What is this now? I will not train on this,'" Jonker said of the test cricket venue in the Bay of Plenty area. We have raised concerns about the cricket pitch previously, we were promised things and now we are very disappointed and angry. We are not satisfied. "We want to play a good first match against Portugal here, we want to have a top preparation, a top tournament and we also consider ourselves a top team. This does not fit. This fits with amateurism of the highest order." The Netherlands face Portugal in their group stage opener before taking on reigning champions USA in a tastily-billed grudge match. A positive result against Portugal could prove critical to building moment and ensuring the Dutch make it out of the group stages. Yet, the state of their training facilities presents a clear challenge to those ambitions. The Dutch football association (KNVB) said they){kind=link}
The Dutch national team, who were runners-up at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, have been forced to avoid 11v11 training sessions due to a hard cricket pitch in the middle of their training field
Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker has accused FIFA and the Women’s World Cup of being ‘amateurs’ after a cricket pitch had yet to be removed from the team’s training field ahead of their group stage opener against Portugal on Sunday.
The Dutch women’s team were assigned the Bay Oval in Tauranga for their World Cup preparations, a place cricket fans will more fondly remember as the scene of Jimmy Anderson’s four-wicket haul for 18 runs when England ripped through New Zealand in February.
Five months on, a hard cricket pitch still sits in the middle of the field, an obvious obstacle to training the Netherlands team had requested to be removed months earlier.
And its persistent presence has prompted Jonker to voice his unfettered frustration at the situation and the danger posed to his players ahead of a critical match for the 2019 Women’s World Cup runners-up.