CHAMPION KAMPIOEN

Suzanne Giesen celebrates a goal with Mickey Robertson Photo TJF Photos

Two countries, Two League Championships, qualification for the UEFA Champions League and a visit to the Women’s World Cup, it has been quite a year for Suzanne Giesen. While the visit to the World Cup is as a fan and not a player, she does have a teammate in the Dutch squad (Renate Jansen) and is looking forward to seeing The Netherlands take on New Zealand in Le Harve. A game which connects the two countries she has been playing
football in in the past year.

Suzanne, a midfielder, was playing for Wellington United’s Dutch sister club, PEC Zwolle, where she had made 80 appearances. Being aware of the link between the clubs, she contacted Wellington United and managed to combine a holiday in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands with playing football.

She made an immediate impression. Wellington United coach Guillermo Schiltenwolf was taken by how technical, competitive and professional she is. “She is exceptional. Our league isn't as competitive as the league she is used to, however she trained and played as she has never left home. I don’t think there is a coach who will refuse to have Suzanne in their team”

Suzanne (right) with Diamonds team mates Marjie van Damm, Rosie Wild, Coach Guille Schiltenwolf & the W-League trophy Photo TJF Photos

Suzanne was a key member of the team that won the W-League undefeated and got to the semi-final of the Kate Sheppard Cup, a first for the club. Suzanne played in 12 games and scored 15 goals, including six in one game.

When asked about her time at Wellington United, Suzanne is full of praise "Wellington United gave me a warm welcome and helped me out if I needed something. Winning the league and reaching the semi final was great!, I also really enjoyed playing with the girls, they work really hard and are determined to win…….The team had their own qualities, Mickey (Robertson) for example was always a threat for the opponent, in defence we had Rosie (Wild) and Ella (Wilson) who made it possible for us to play freely. I played in the midfield with Asha (Strom), which was really nice as well, as she did most of the defensive work and I was able to score some goals!”.

While Guillermo and Wellington United would have loved her to stay it was clear she was destined for greater things and while in New Zealand she signed for FC Twente, who are considered giants of the Women’s game in the Netherlands. It was a baptism of fire, starting training with the club the day after she got off the plane from New Zealand and the league kicking off just two weeks after that.

It has been a fantastic season for Suzanne and FC Twente who won the Eredivisie Vrouwen (Dutch Women’s League) beating of a strong challenge from Ajax. It means they qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. It will be the first time she has played in this competition and something she is very excited about playing in “…I’m expecting difficult opponents, but also a great experience and challenging games. It is always a good thing to play against great teams and players, this will challenge me and the team to do even better.”

Eredivisie Vrouwen Champions FC Twente (Suzanne Giesen in the center) Photo : Suppilied

Having won two leagues in two different countries within a year, it’s interesting to compare the two, unsurprisingly the Eredivisie Vrouwen stands out, with the level of competition in the Netherlands been greater than in New Zealand. The W-League is a regional competition that teams train twice a week for, the Eredivisie is a national competition that they train five to six times a week for. Suzanne says that the Dutch league is also a lot more tactical than what she experienced in New Zealand. She was impressed by the New Zealand system of regional based teams with the best player from that region in the National League saying “this helps raise the level and exposes players to different styles of play”. Another difference that stuck Suzanne was the New Zealand practice of complementing players and giving scores at the end of a game “I think this shows fair play and can be stimulating for girls to work even harder”

When pushed for a prediction on the Netherlands v New Zealand game at the World Cup, she is reluctant to pick a result, saying unsurprisingly she hopes the Netherlands will win. The one prediction that she is making for the World Cup is that the winner will be one of the Netherlands, France or the USA.

When asked if she would consider returning to New Zealand, Giesen says “The people in NZ are really kind and the scenery is just incredible. Coming from the Netherlands where everything is flat, it was amazing to see the mountains and hills. I also enjoyed playing with the girls, so if the possibility is there I would definitely consider coming back”

==================================================================